The Rise of Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze
by MercenaryGrax
Summary: How would things be if Naruto knew who his parents were from a young age? A mysterious man who has watched Naruto his entire life soon takes an interest in Naruto and is placed as the assistant Jonin instructor to Naruto and his team. Who is this man and what relation does he have to Naruto? How will things be different with him training the young ninja? NaruxHarem & OCxHarem.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 – Team Placement and Introductions**

As the rays of the morning sun pierced the darkened bedroom, a young, blonde-haired boy groaned and flopped over, tugging on his blankets to block the light out. Mere moments later, the alarm clock on the stand near his bed began to blare and, in a moment of frustration, young Naruto flung off his blankets, hopped off his bed, and slammed the snooze button on the clock to shut it up. After turning off the alarm function, the 12 year-old Uzumaki-Namikaze boy rubbed his eyes and let out a rather loud yawn before stripping down and entering his bathroom where he quickly began to shower off and brush his teeth.

After enjoying his warm shower, Naruto dressed and ventured downstairs and into the kitchen. As the kind, young boy began to prepare a healthy breakfast for himself, he thought back on the events of the recent days. _That bastard Mizuki tricked me. Still, it wasn't all bad I suppose. I learned the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) and Iruka-sensei gave me his hitai-ate. I'm supposed to show up today for team placements. I wonder who will be on my team, and more importantly who our sensei will be. I've been working extra hard lately, so I think I should be just fine._

With a shrug of his shoulders, Naruto sat down at a nearby table and dug into his simple breakfast of some buttered toast, scrambled eggs, and orange juice. It didn't take long for him to finish his breakfast, don his hitai-ate, and disappear through his front door. Locking it tight behind him, Naruto nodded his head and quickly rushed off on his way to the ninja academy.

Upon entering the classroom, Naruto noticed all manner of glares aimed in his direction. Many of his fellow students had a similar thought running through their minds: 'How did that idiot become a ninja? Didn't he fail the Genin Exams? What's going on?' and so on, and so on. Glancing towards his friends, his fellow 'dead lasts' as they were known, Naruto waved and approached them.

Without thinking about it, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze sat down beside Kiba Inuzuka, one of his longtime friends. Glancing behind him, he noticed the Ino-Shika-Cho trio as they were sometimes called. Waving at the three of them, he turned back to Kiba and grinned his usual, goofy grin. "Yo Kiba, how are you today? Looking forward to team placements and meeting your sensei?"

Kiba shrugged his shoulders as Akamaru barked atop his head after poking his head out of the hood. Glancing around the room, Kiba sighed and looked back at Naruto. "Yeah Naruto, just a bit nervous. I don't want to end up on some lame team with stupid Sasuke fangirls or, God forbid, Sasuke himself. If you and me got on the same team, it wouldn't be so bad though."

Smirking, Naruto patted his friend on the shoulder before softly scratching Akamaru's chin. "Yeah, I know what you mean Kiba. The Teme is such a stuck-up pain-in-the-ass. Whoever ends up on his team is going to end up miserable. I can imagine it now. Sasuke thinking he's so special and, in an effort to be 'cool', he tries to show off against enemy ninja and gets his butt kicked for lack of teamwork. If you and me end up on a team together, we've got the teamwork thing down." His smirk widening, Naruto ducked under a punch from the pink-haired girl whom he used to have a crush on before sticking a pinky in his ear in his best effort to tune out Ino's incessant yelling. Between the fangirls and Sasuke, neither Naruto or Kiba could figure out which was worse.

Not much later after Ino and Sakura sat back down did Iruka step into the classroom. Waving at his father figure, Naruto grinned at him and Iruka nodded his head in greeting. "Now students, I would like you to take your seats, calm down, and I will read off the list of teams. I ask that you all be respectful and please, _please_ mind that you keep your voices down. If you happen to be upset about a particular teammate or you have a problem of another kind, please keep in mind that I am not the one who picked these teams. Now, onto another matter."

Naruto frowned as Iruka-sensei looked his way and smiled softly before turning to face the entire classroom full of students once more. "As some of you may be aware, there were problems recently. Mizuki tried to steal a very precious item from the Hokage mansion. Thankfully Mizuki was apprehended and is now residing in prison for his treachery. Anymore information on this topic is forbidden for me to speak about, so please do not ask any questions."

Breathing a small sigh of relief, Naruto laid his head upon his desk and chuckled softly to himself before Sakura Haruno turned and pointed a finger at him. Grumbling, Naruto knew what was coming next. "Iruka-sensei, why is Naruto-baka here? He failed the exam didn't he?!"

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Iruka slowly nodded his head and then turned to face Sakura after glancing briefly at Naruto. "Yes, Naruto did happen to fail the exam, and yet he has his hitai-ate. Many of you may be wondering why this is. All I am permitted to inform you of is that Naruto got his hitai-ate under special circumstances. Please do not question Naruto or myself further on this subject."

As the students all nodded, Naruto let out another deep, frustrated sigh before he felt Kiba patting his back with a smile. "Whatever you did, I'm glad you're here Naruto. You wouldn't be here right now if you didn't do something great. Now, let's listen for the team placements and chill here for a bit." As Naruto nodded, he and his friends listened intently as Iruka began to call out team placements.

After some time had passed, Iruka began to call out the members of Team 7. "Team 7 – Sasuke Uchiha, Hinata Hyuuga, and Shino Aburame. Your sensei is Kakashi Hatake. Team 8 – Kiba Inuzuka, Sakura Haruno…" At this, Kiba hung his head and groaned while Sakura yelled out her frustration about being stuck with 'Stinky Dogbreath' as she so pleasantly called him. Grumbling about being interrupted, Iruka simply ignored her and called out the last member of the team. "And finally, Naruto Uzumaki. Your sensei is Kurenai Yuhi." This particular bit of information further infuriated Sakura Haruno who demanded she be put with another team, much to Iruka's annoyance.

Turning to his friend, Naruto sighed and whispered in his and Akamaru's ears. "Great, we're stuck with one of the loudmouth Sasuke fangirls. Just our luck, right Kiba?" Snickering slightly, Kiba nodded his head and the two of them continued to listen to Iruka spout off the teams.

"Team 9 is still in rotation from last year, so skipping right along. Team 10 is Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akamichi. Your sensei is Asuma Sarutobi. Now, all of your sensei should be arriving shortly. Please be patient and be good to them." With that, Iruka sat down in his chair behind his desk and smiled as the door opened, revealing some of the sensei who quickly took their teams and left. A short while later, both Asuma and Kurenai showed up to take their teams away.

Glancing down at their sensei, Naruto first watched as the smoking man (as he referred to him as) took Team 10 and walked off out of the room. It was then that he looked at Kurenai and blushed a bit. _Wow, our sensei's _HOT! He thought in silence. It was at this point that he realized that Team 8 had been called as well and he quickly shot up along with Kiba and followed after Kurenai with Sakura huffing behind him.

_**Meanwhile in the Hokage's Office**_

Hiruzen Sarutobi was currently rubbing the bridge of his nose as he looked across at the young man standing before him. This man was over 6 feet tall with long, navy blue hair that stretched down his back, stopping just above his waistline. He had green eyes and he wore a jonin flak jacket along with slightly baggy, but comfortable black pants. His shirt was a light blue color, and on his feet he wore standard shinobi sandals. As handsome as this man was, people couldn't help but steer clear of him when he was in the mood he was in currently.

"Hokage-sama, I told you I would have liked to teach this year. I've looked out for Naruto constantly throughout his life and you KNOW I wanted to be his sensei. Why the hell didn't you inform me about your decision before now?! I KNOW him, I know what he's been through! I could teach Naruto so much. Do you not trust in me or something?!"

Once more, the elderly Hokage sighed and shook his head. "Sean, I trust you, but you need to relax and take it easy. I'm sorry that I could not fulfill your request, but you tend to be a bit hot-tempered and you might end up doing something you might regret later. Besides, I actually had a plan for you if you were simply willing to let me speak." Grumbling slightly when the man, now identified as Sean, turned and folded his arms across his chest, Hiruzen found himself growling inwardly at the young man's antics. _It doesn't help that you told Naruto about his heritage and sent him to me for an explanation back when he was six years-old!_ Hiruzen thought to himself angrily.

Frowning, Sean turned his gaze back to his Hokage and chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry Hokage-sama, but you know how much I care for the boy. You're not still mad at me for telling him everything are you? I mean, he kinda deserved to know everything don't you think? Besides, you let the damn council boss you around when you're the one with all the power here. Sure they're important, but they're mostly there to advise you Mister Silly Hokage-Man." Chuckling to himself, Sean watched as his friend shook his head and chuckled again. "The way people treat him in this village is ridiculous. Then again, even if they knew the truth about who his parents were, I doubt many would be so forgiving. They all seem to think he killed the Hokage when it was actually just the Kyuubi y'know? To think he was supposed to be regarded as a hero of this village." Shaking his head, clearly disappointed with how things had turned out, Sean looked into the Hokage's eyes and smiled softly. "Anyways, what's my special job Sarutobi-sama?"

Sighing again, Hiruzen looked at Sean and took a puff of his tobacco, much to Sean's annoyance. "I've already talked with Kurenai Yuhi, Naruto's new sensei, about your request to tutor Naruto. We talked about it for a while and we both agreed on a simple solution. You will teach the Genin team alongside her. They're probably waiting at their new training ground for you to show up. Here's the information on your new team. Dismissed Sean, take care and try not to be too hard on them, especially on Sakura. I know how you hate fangirls and people who don't take being a shinobi seriously." Glancing through the file for a moment, Sean nodded and quickly vanished in a shunshin without another word to the old Hokage.

_**Training Ground for Team 8**_

Upon arriving at the training ground where Kurenai-sensei had led them, Naruto and his buddy Kiba quickly sat down with Sakura choosing to stay nearest Kurenai rather than get closer to the two idiots as she called them. Sighing at Sakura's behavior, Kurenai looked at each of them and smiled. "First, I would like to say that it's nice to meet the three of you. As you are no doubt already aware, I am Kurenai Yuhi and I will be your sensei. Before we begin however, I would like to inform you that we are currently waiting on the last member of our team. Sadly, I do not know how long it will take him to join us."

Sighing heavily, Kurenai looked between her students and their confused expressions. Soon enough, Sakura decided to speak up. "Sensei? What do you mean we're waiting on our final member? What's going on?" At this, Kurenai offered a kind smile and began to explain.

"You see Sakura, I happen to be a Genjutsu specialist. I am proficient in both Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, but I'm afraid there are many better than me in those regards. The Hokage informed me of another that was looking forward to teaching some new Genin and thus, he has been assigned as my assistant Jonin instructor. In fact, it looks like he's here now." Smiling softly at their surprised reactions, Kurenai pointed in the direction of her assistant instructor.

"Tch, I was hoping to observe for a bit longer. You didn't allow me to spook 'em a bit." Pushing himself off of the tree, Sean walked over and stood before them, eyeing each of the Genin curiously before his gaze finally rested on Kurenai's eyes. "So this is your new team huh? The girl doesn't appear to be anything special at first glance, but that's not to say she's hopeless as a kunoichi. As for the boys, they look to be all brawn. Depending on how things play out, I'm sure the two of us can work up some kind of special training schedule for the three of them…if they pass your test of course." Kneeling, Sean bowed to Kurenai and then to each of the Genin present. "Hello everyone. My name is Sean. I'm assuming introductions haven't been made yet?" Glancing to Kurenai to see her shaking her head no, Sean grinned and decided to wait.

Kurenai, noticing this, sighed and decided to begin. "Everyone, I would like for each of us to introduce ourselves. Begin with your name, then move on to likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams, and anything else you feel we should know. I will begin." Bowing slightly for a moment, Kurenai smiled softly at her team and began her introduction. "I am Kurenai Yuhi, your Jonin instructor. I like Genjutsu, my friends, drinking with friends, and takowasa. My dislikes are those who claim Genjutsu is useless, cake, and perverts. My dream is to prove to the world that Genjutsu is just as useful as Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. Sean, would you care to continue?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Sean looked to Kurenai for a moment and smiled before nodding his head and turning to the young Genin. "My name is Sean. I will not give my last name at the moment. I like training, the Hokage, meeting new people and making friends, and lots of other things. I dislike rude people, really bad perverts, people who abuse children…" At this, Sean noticed Naruto visibly shudder before offering him a kind smile and a nod before resuming his spiel. "And people that choose to underestimate their opponents. I'm…not really sure if I have a dream. I suppose I have one, but it's not much." Frowning, Sean let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. "You see…I would like to get married and have a family. I…have a relative or two out in the world, but I don't know any of them all that well." Frowning at this, he shrugged his shoulders. "Like you Naruto, I'm alone." Smiling tenderly at the young boy, who seemed shocked that Sean even spoke to him for some reason, Sean found himself chuckling softly at his expression before he turned to Kurenai and nodded.

Kurenai pat Sean gently on the shoulder before turning to Sakura and nodding at her to go. "My name is Sakura Haruno. I like Sasuke, umeboshi, and anmitsu. I dislike perverts and I HATE Naruto!" Shooting a nasty glare at Naruto and seeing him sulking, Sakura smiled proudly at herself before continuing on. "My dream…is to get married to a certain somebody and help him restore his clan." Squealing slightly, much to the annoyance of everyone else present, Sakura held her hands to her cheeks and blushed deeply at the thought of her precious Sasuke-kun.

Shaking her head sadly at the display, Kurenai motioned for Naruto to go on. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki." _Can't let anyone know that I know my father was the Fourth. That'd only cause problems according to Jiji._ Sighing at that, Naruto continued on. "I like my friends Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba. I also like the Ichiraku's and the delicious ramen they serve. I dislike the time it takes for ramen to cook, Sasuke, and being told that my dreams are stupid. Finally, my dream is to become Hokage dattebayo!"

Chuckling softly, Sean nodded his head at the young Uzumaki-Namikaze. "Naruto, that's an admiral dream and I hope you can accomplish such a thing someday. However, would you mind terribly if I asked you why you want to become Hokage?" Seeing Naruto's intense gaze on him, Sean simply smiled and motioned for him to speak.

Sighing softly, Naruto nodded his head and looked at everyone before finally settling his gaze on Sean. "I…I want to be respected. The Hokage is the most respected person in the entire village, and after…well…I just want to be Hokage to look out for everybody and keep everybody safe. The respect would be really great too." Smiling at that, Naruto looked up to see Sean smiling softly at him and patting him on the shoulder. "Well said Naruto. Let's hope you can achieve your dream someday." Naruto slowly nodded his head and looked to Kiba to go next.

Kiba nodded and set Akamaru in his lap, gently scratching him behind his ear. "My name is Kiba Inuzuka. I like Akamaru, my little puppy here. I also like my family, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji. I dislike Sasuke and his stupid fangirls…" At this he shot a nasty glare Sakura's way before continuing on. "I also dislike people that treat my friends like crap and those that hurt Akamaru. My dream is to become the Inuzuka clan head and making my mom proud." Nodding his head proudly, Kiba bumped fists with his friend and grinned.

Kurenai clapped her hands together once and smiled at everyone. "All right everyone, now that introductions are out of the way, I would like to issue a test to see if you are truly ready to become Genin." Rising to her feet once again, Kurenai gently brushed herself off before glancing to Sean and nodding. "Sean, if you could, would you please wait over there?" Seeing him nod and walk off with his arms folded, Kurenai looked back to her team. "Naruto, Sakura, Kiba, I want you to come at me with the intent to kill. I aim to test you and your abilities. You have thirty minutes to show me what you three can do." Jumping back away from them and taking hold of a kunai, Kurenai nodded and smiled at them. "Begin!"

**A/N: First, I would like to inform you that this WILL be a Naruto x Harem fic with my OC having a mini-harem of sorts with 2 - 3 women. Naruto's harem will have at least 9 girls, but I have yet to decide on the majority of them. The main girl in the harem WILL BE Hinata Hyuuga. If you have a problem with that, I apologize, but I'm not changing that little fact.**

**Now, you are welcome to make suggestions on girls that I should add to the Harem. Please include a reason as to why you want a particular girl or girls in either harem and I will take your suggestions into consideration. Please and thank you in advance.**

**Also, I am up for suggestions for what you'd like to see later on in terms of missions and the like. I will take all suggestions under consideration. ^^ **

**Finally, I want to inform you that I have been writing for many, many years now, but this is the first time I've actually decided to work on a fanfiction and post it on this site. I am looking forward to your reviews. Any constructive criticism will be taken to heart and I will do what I can to make this as enjoyable a fic as possible. However, I will not deal with flamers. If you choose to review or send me a Private Message, please be nice or you will be ignored. That is all.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – Teamwork, Training, & a C-Rank Mission**

As soon as Kurenai declared a start to the test, she immediately cast her first Genjutsu upon each of her three students in an effort to test their knowledge on her favorite type of jutsu. "**Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu (Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique)!**" Upon saying this, leaves swirled around all three of her Genin and she disappeared from view.

_**Naruto**_

Naruto had been prepared to attack Kurenai alongside Kiba and Akamaru before everything went dark around him. Suddenly he was reliving the worst attack of his life all over again. As he ran from the villagers and the various shinobi out for his life, Naruto shook his head and tried to tell himself numerous times that this wasn't real.

After being cornered, Naruto threw his arms up in defense to at least protect his head as attack after attack was rained down on him from the angry mob. Mere moments later, some words rang in his head that sounded very familiar.

'Remember this lesson well Naruto as it _will_ help you later on after you become a shinobi. Genjutsu may seem like a worthless tool in battle, but it's actually quite effective if used properly in battle. I'm afraid that with your high chakra reserves, I am not the one to teach you the uses of Genjutsu, but I can certainly teach you how to break out of them. Now, sit down and I will explain to you in detail the various uses of Genjutsu and how to break free from them. To begin…'

Naruto's eyes suddenly shot open in realization. _I'm trapped in a freaking Genjutsu! Dammit sensei, how can you send me back to the worst freaking night of my life?! Stupid psycho woman!_ Grumbling to himself, Naruto formed a single handsign and calmed himself before spiking his chakra in his best effort to break himself out of his nightmare.

_**Sakura**_

As soon as Sakura was trapped in the Genjutsu, she began to hear the sounds of a fierce battle raging nearby. Despite her senses telling her otherwise, the pink-haired girl's curiosity got the better of her and she rushed off to investigate. Upon reaching the site of the battle, the sight before her caused her to let out a shrill scream.

Rushing over to the injured boy, she knelt down and instantly cradled him to her chest. "Sasuke-kun! What happened to you? Speak to me!" It was then that she heard somebody chuckling nearby. Turning her gaze, she saw Sean standing with a sword in hand. Sasuke's blood was slowly dripping down the blade and the look in his eyes sent shivers throughout her entire body.

After a moment of his taunting her, Sakura's eyes suddenly shot open in realization. _Wait a minute. Why would Sasuke be here in our training ground? This doesn't make any sense._ Then it all hit her and her eyes widened even more. _That's right! Kurenai-sensei said she specializes in Genjutsu! Please let me be right!_

_**Kiba**_

"Akamaru? Akamaru?! Where are you buddy?! Please speak to me!" Hearing a faint yipping sound off in the distance, Kiba's ears immediately perked up and he rushed off in the direction of his best friend. However, the sight that greeted him was far from what he was expecting to find.

Kneeling down, Kiba gently lifted the heavily wounded Akamaru into his arms and began to shed his tears. "Akamaru? Who did this to you?! Please, don't leave me!" With that, Akamaru strained to lick Kiba's hand and went limp in his arms.

As he continued to cry, Kiba listened as Kurenai began to speak to him. It was obvious to him without even hearing her words that she was mocking him for being unable to protect those precious to him. Glaring her way, Kiba snarled and prepared to attack. At least, that was the case until he calmed himself down and began to at least _try_ to think rationally on the problem at hand.

_This has to be some kind of trick. I'm dreaming, imagining all of this, SOMETHING! Well it's time to wake up dammit!_ Kiba shut his eyelids tight and prepared himself for what he was about to do. Reaching into his kunai holster, the young Inuzuka gripped one of his kunai tight and stabbed himself in the leg in an effort to break free from the Genjutsu.

_**Team 8's Training Grounds**_

Upon breaking out of the Genjutsu, all three Genin looked around to find that they hadn't moved from where they had been standing once the battle began. Ten minutes had passed since they had been trapped in the Genjutsu. Frowning, the three Genin looked to Kurenai and groaned.

Pointing an accusing finger at Kurenai, Naruto grimaced and shook his head. "Kurenai-sensei, that wasn't cool! That was the worst night of my life! How could you pull that crap with me?! With US?!" Clenching his hands together in fists, the young, blonde Genin quickly tried to calm himself down. Taking a few deep breaths, Naruto steeled himself and glared at his new sensei before glancing to his teammates. _I wonder if that guy would be okay if I used a few techniques now? He said to be careful about what I did during the academy, but technically I'm not _in_ the academy anymore so it should be okay right?_

Nodding to himself, Naruto decided to speak up. "Kiba, Sakura, let's try to work together to show her what we can do. All right?" When Kiba nodded in response, Naruto glanced to Sakura and groaned at her disgusted look at having to work with Naruto-baka of all people. "Dammit Sakura, now isn't the time for your "I hate Naruto!" crap. Just trust me okay?" Smiling at her, Naruto gathered them around him and began to explain his plan.

Off to the side, Sean found himself smirking. He had never informed Naruto of his identity, so it was obvious that the young Genin didn't recognize him. However, he was proud that Naruto was remembering everything that he had taught him. _All right Naruto, show them what you can do._ Looking towards Kurenai, Sean grinned as he began to ponder what she would do after she learned what the three Genin were about to do. Currently, she appeared to simply be waiting for them to make their move.

Sakura let out a frustrated sigh before finally conceding and agreeing to Naruto's plan. By now they only had fifteen minutes left, but Naruto seemed so positive that this idea of his would work to at least catch their sensei off guard. Still, after all she had seen from Naruto before, she didn't have much faith in his abilities.

Seeing how she was behaving, Sean couldn't help but chuckle from where he was standing. As the three Genin glared over at him, the blue-haired man threw up his hands and waved them in a manner as if he was asking for forgiveness. However, Sean's laughter belied the gesture's purpose and only infuriated the three Genin further.

Deciding to ignore their obnoxious sensei, the group of Genin quickly turned to Kurenai and began their assault. Naruto was the first to take action as he quickly threw three kunai in succession at Kurenai. Acting quickly, the Genjutsu Mistress quickly deflected two kunai and dodged the third. However, she ended up landing straight in the path of Kiba and Akamaru as they drilled towards her along the ground using their combination attack: **Gatsūga (Fang Passing Fang)**.

Right as Kiba and Akamaru reached her, the crimson-eyed woman quickly used a Kawarimi (Body Replacement) to replace herself with a nearby twig that lay in the shade of a tree. Upon realizing that Kurenai had replaced herself, Kiba stopped his attack and smirked. "Sakura, now's your chance!"

As soon as those words left Kiba's mouth, Kurenai's eyes widened in surprise as Sakura's trap sprung from the ground. The Genjutsu specialist was quickly pinned to the tree by three long strands of ninja wire. When Sakura came out from behind the tree with a grin plastered on her face, Kurenai simply let out a heavy sigh as she shook her head. "All right, all right. You three did very well. Not only did you escape my Genjutsu, but you quickly came up with a plan and pulled through with it quite effectively. You all pass. For just becoming a team, you worked real well together. However…" Kurenai looked over at Sean as he appeared by her side, shocking the students as she waited for him to continue where she left off.

Sean sighed and quickly freed Kurenai before he began. "While Naruto and Kiba are naturally going to work well together due to their longtime friendship, Sakura's the weak link here. Despite the fact that Sakura caved in the end and decided to work with the rest of her team to prove her worth as a kunoichi, she still doesn't care much for the two males of her team. Until she learns to get over this supposed 'hatred' of her teammates, namely Naruto, we'll have to work on improving their teamwork. However…"

Before Sean could continue, Sakura began screeching at him. "Sensei! What the hell are you talking about?! Naruto-baka's a dead last, a LOSER! I should've been on a team with Sasuke-kun. At least then I could've been on a team of worth. We'll never get anywhere with these two on the team." At this, the four other members of Team 8 shook their heads and let out heavy, drawn-out sighs of frustration.

Sean grumbled and dragged a hand down the front of his face before he decided to speak again. "As I was _saying_ before I was so _rudely_ interrupted, it's actually a good thing that Sakura was placed on this team."

At this, Naruto's and Kiba's eyes widened and they shouted out in unison: "It is?! What the hell do you mean by that Sean-sensei?!"

Sighing once more, Sean looked to Kurenai and chuckled softly before he patted the two Genin on their heads. "Yes, it is. The Sasuke fangirls were not placed on a team with the Uchiha brat and I have to commend Hokage-sama on his choices. You see, if they had been placed on a team with their precious 'Sasuke-kun', they would NEVER have focused on training or on their missions. Instead they'd be doing their very best to try and get them to notice him. Therefore, their missions would have, quite possibly, ended in failure and could have resulted in not only themselves, but their sensei and their precious Sasuke-kun being injured or possibly even killed. Having Sakura and Ino apart from Sasuke Uchiha allows them to focus instead of becoming great kunoichi and growing stronger."

Looking down at Sakura, Sean kneeled down and smiled kindly at her. "Sakura, you are an intelligent young woman. You don't have to stop chasing after Sasuke or trying to impress him later on, but Kurenai and I are going to work you hard so you can become what you were meant to be: an intelligent, wonderful ninja with skills to rival even the strongest kunoichi in existence no matter who that might turn out to be." Smirking a bit, he patted the pink-haired girl atop her head. "I'm sure Kurenai can teach you some Genjutsu, and the two of us together will help you learn more ninjutsu and even help you find the perfect Taijutsu style for you."

Looking to the others, Sean smirked and poked Naruto in the forehead. "As for you Mister, I'll continue to train you to perfect that Taijutsu style of yours. If you ever want, I can teach you Kenjutsu as well. I'm afraid I'm not a Fuinjutsu master, but I can help you with more of the basics and easier seals. You'll have to show your teammates what you've learned over the years as well." When Naruto frowned and looked the strange man up and down for a moment, Sean chuckled quietly and turned to Kiba.

"You, on the other hand, I plan to work with you and your family to help you become even more proficient with your Taijutsu style. On top of that, we'll figure out yours and Sakura's elemental affinities. Depending on what they are, Kurenai-sensei and I shall work with the three of you and teach you what we can. Perhaps we can even help you, Kiba, to implement your elemental jutsu into your Taijutsu style." Smiling kindly at the three Genin, Sean rose and nodded his head as he folded his arms across his chest.

The three Genin smiled at him and looked between their two senseis before resting their gazes upon Sean. "Okay, we know Kurenai-sensei's main forte, but what about you? What do you specialize in?" Sakura asked curiously.

Sean smirked and held out his right hand, palm up. Suddenly the wind swirled around the five ninja in the training ground and began building up in his hand. When it finally settled down, the four of them looked at the assistant Jonin instructor and the three Genin widened their eyes. "I've never heard of wind manipulation to such a degree! It's a sword of pure wind!" As Sakura reached out to touch it, Sean stopped her and waggled his finger in front of her face.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. When I create weapons of pure wind, the wind continues to move around at such speeds that it cuts through pretty much anything like butter. Of course, when going against fire jutsu or fire-imbued weapons, wind is practically useless. That's when I switch to using ninjutsu or my katana. As for my control over wind…I suppose the best explanation is that I've always had an unusually strong affinity for the wind element. My secondary elemental affinity is water, but it's nowhere near as strong as my wind affinity."

In an instant, the wind sword was dispelled and Sean smiled happily as he turned to Naruto. At the look of recognition on his apprentice's face, the assistant sensei smirked. "I see you recognize me now Naruto Uzumaki. It's been a while."

As his two Genin teammates glanced at Naruto, they were shocked when the blonde-haired young man glomped Sean and held onto him tightly around the waist. "Wind-sensei! Why didn't you tell me that you were him?! I was so worried that you weren't going to teach me anymore!" At his tears, Sean chuckled and softly wiped them away with his thumbs and poked him in the forehead again.

"Now listen here Naruto. I won't have you crying on my watch. Kurenai-sensei and I are going to train you even harder from now on. I promised that as soon as you became a Genin that you'd undergo even rougher training than before and I _meant_ it. Now calm down all right? I'll treat all of you to dinner. Because you did so well, I'll let you choose where we go to eat okay?"

At the looks of horror on Sakura's and Kiba's faces, Sean gave them a knowing smirk. When Naruto immediately shouted out "Ichiraku's Ramen!," Sean laughed heartily and began walking with them to Naruto's favorite ramen stand.

_**The Next Day – Team 8's Training Ground – 2:00 PM**_

The three Genin from Team 8 collapsed to their knees and groaned in agony. After catching her breath, Sakura grabbed Naruto by the collar of his loose, black shirt and shook him like crazy. "Why the hell didn't you tell us he was such a slave driver?! At this rate we're going to end up dead before we even get our first REAL mission! The stupid D-ranks we've done are ridiculous. If we even try a C-rank…" Sighing heavily, Sakura shook her head and lowered it slowly. "We just won't have the energy necessary…will we?"

Naruto simply chuckled a moment before prying his teammate's hands from his shirt and patting her on both of her shoulders. "He was never this hard on me before. I'm a stamina freak and I'm STILL exhausted. Trust me though, all of this training will pay off in the end dattebayo!" When all he received was a light smack to the head, the blonde-haired Genin sighed and looked to Kiba and Akamaru. The two of them were laying, panting on the ground. Shrugging his shoulders, Naruto looked over to Kurenai and Sean as they both walked over.

Smirking, Sean folded his arms across his chest and stopped a few feet from his team. "You can rest for ten minutes. By then, Kurenai has some teamwork exercises she'd like you to try out. After that, we'll take on a few more D-rank missions. Finally, before you're allowed to return home for the night, we'll try and help you out with some chakra exercises. Kurenai and I have both agreed that we'll train you in tree-climbing first before we move you on to water-walking. Afterwards, depending on how well you've been doing, we can work on teaching the three of you more jutsu. Though, of course, we'll have to figure out what your elemental affinities are." Reaching up, Sean lightly scratched his chin and shrugged. "Have fun with your teamwork exercises. I'm going to get myself something to drink and check up on a few things. Meet you in the Hokage's office in a couple of hours." With a nod, Sean quickly shunshined out of the area.

The three Genin turned to Kurenai and scowled. "We're really starting to HATE him Kurenai-sensei. Between these gravity seals, the physical exercises, and everything else he's had us doing, how the heck are we supposed to last?" When Kurenai simply chuckled and shook her head, the three Genin lowered their heads and sighed heavily.

_**With Sean**_

After stopping at home and picking up a small bottle of water, Sean disappeared again and reappeared at the Inuzuka compound. Walking up to the front door, he knocked and waited with a smile. Moments later, when the head of the clan opened the sliding door, Sean bowed to her with a smile. "Good day to you Lady Inuzuka. May I come in, please?"

When Tsume nodded and stepped aside, Sean stepped in and joined her on a simple-looking couch. "What brings you here Sean? I thought for sure you would be busy with your team." Glancing over at him out of the corner of her eye, Tsume noticed that he was simply grinning as he fiddled around with his bottle of water. Shrugging, she decided to wait and hear what he had to say.

"Inuzuka-san, I wanted to talk with you about your son, Kiba." Turning his head to her, Sean simply smiled and nodded his head. "He's quite strong for his age, and his techniques are very powerful. However, I would like to request that you and Hana-san up his training regimen here at home. It would be great for him to learn more techniques and continue his training here at home. Kurenai-san will speak with Sakura's parents and request their permission for private lessons with Sakura. Thus, I agreed to come speak with you about Kiba's training."

Tsume nodded her head as she took in everything that Sean had to say. Turning her head, the Inuzuka clan head leaned back on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. "I can only imagine the kind of training you're putting your team through. Are you positive that Kiba has the stamina to last throughout the day and then train even more upon returning home at the end of the day?" Glancing over at Sean and seeing him smirking, Tsume barked out a laugh and shook her head. "All right, all right. If you think he can handle it, I'll test my son to see what he can do. Afterwards, I'll teach him what I can. Some techniques might be a bit hard for him to learn until he grows stronger, but I'll do the best I can to help my son out. Is that all you needed Sean-san?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Sean rose and offered his hand to Tsume. When she took it, he helped her up off the couch and grinned. "Your son will do great, I can assure you of that. As soon as they master the tree-climbing exercise, Kurenai-san and I plan to request a C-rank mission. Of course, throughout the training regimen we have planned for our team, we're going to see what their elemental affinities are and begin teaching them jutsu according to those affinities. Whatever affinity your son has, I'm hoping that you can help him incorporate some of his elemental jutsu into his attack style. If anyone can help him do that, it would be you and Hana-san. Also, I would like to request that you don't take it easy on him. If he's to grow stronger, he needs you and Hana-san to be serious with him. Other than all of that…"

Before Sean could continue, the front door flew open again and Hana rushed inside. She was obviously eager to do _something_, but what that was, neither Tsume or Sean knew. Cocking his head to the side, Sean found himself chuckling and waving at her. "Yo Hana-san. You seem to be in a hurry. Any particular reason for that?"

Hana, rushing past them into the kitchen, found herself chuckling and shaking her head. "I missed lunch. I'm planning to eat lunch and get back within the next forty-five minutes." Beginning to prepare herself something to eat, she glanced over at her mother and Sean, a man she hadn't seen much of throughout his time in Konoha. "It's been a busy day at the veterinary hospital. Anyways, what brings you here Sean-san? Is something wrong with Kiba? He's not causing you too much trouble is he?"

Chuckling softly to himself, Sean shook his head and smiled at her. "Nah, Kiba's doing great. I simply came by to discuss an advanced training plan for your little brother. Your mother can explain the plan to you after you get home from work again, I'm sure. For now though, I need to get to the Hokage's office. I've spent too much time here already. Catch ya later Hana-san!" Waving good-bye to both Hana and Tsume, Sean shunshined out again.

When Hana turned to her mother, she frowned and shook her head. "He could have stayed for a little while longer. I would have liked to hear about Kiba's training a bit. Oh well, perhaps next time?" With a shrug of her shoulders, Hana sat down at a table and began eating her late lunch.

_**In the Hokage's Office**_

"Ugh! Not that damn cat again! Please, anything but that Jiji-san! Pleaaaaaaaaaase!" Naruto pleaded, but to no avail. Feeling defeated, the young blonde-haired Genin groaned and began to pout. _This so isn't fair. Sean-sensei says we have to wait until we've mastered this so-called tree-climbing exercise to go on C-rank missions, but he's already got me practicing water-walking! The others are the ones that need to master tree-climbing._ Naruto thought to himself as he walked out of the office with his team.

Sean reached down and patted Naruto gently on his shoulder. "Calm down Naruto-kun. I know how anxious you are for a real mission, but these missions are important as well. Believe me, I know how much it all sucks, but this does help to build teamwork. Now, let's go out and catch that cat again. Then I plan to have a few words with that woman. You've already seen how she treats that cat. It's amazing it isn't dead yet." Sighing heavily, they prepared to leave the building when Team 7 walked up. Immediately Naruto and Kiba groaned while Sakura grew hearts in her eyes. _Great, this is just what we need. Sakura's been making such great progress, but seeing him again is going to screw things up again._ Sean thought to himself.

Sasuke smirked as he looked at Naruto Uzumaki. "Dobe." "Teme." Was Naruto's simple response. "I'm still amazed a dobe like you ever became a ninja. Somebody must have taken pity on you or something. You're just not ninja material. Now scoot out of the way Dobe, you're in the way." When Naruto started growling and went to attack, Sasuke's smirk grew wider as Sean gripped Naruto's shoulder tight. "Looks like your sensei has the right idea. Still, it's pointless trying to teach a dobe like you anything. After all, once a loser, always a loser. Whoever this guy is, he'd do better teaching this wimpy girl on my team something. At least then she might actually prove to be worth something. So far all she's done is hold me back."

Growling at this, Naruto glanced up at his sensei and smiled when Sean released him with a smirk. With this action, the blonde Genin approached Sasuke and gripped him by the collar of his blue shirt before slamming him into the wall. "How can you talk about your teammate in such a way?! She's from a great clan, just like you, and I'm sure she's really great. Plus, she's been nothing but kind to **everybody**, even you Teme! You're lucky I don't kick your ass right here, right now! We've got a mission to do, so I won't waste my time teaching you a lesson about respect!" Choosing instead to punch Sasuke in the stomach and dropping him to the ground, Naruto glanced at Sakura as she began to yell at him.

Shrugging his shoulders, Naruto approached Hinata and gave her a gentle hug. At this kind gesture, her face lit up a bright red and she started to feel faint. All the strength in her body began to give out, but then her crush released her and she took calming breaths in an effort to stay conscious so she could listen to what Naruto had to say. "Hinata? I'm sorry the Teme is such a jackass. Don't listen to a thing he says. I'm sure Kakashi-sensei is doing his very best to help you and Shino-san out as well. I'm actually amazed the Teme wasn't sent back to the academy with such a terrible attitude. I bet TEAMWORK isn't even in his vocabulary, right Teme?" Shooting a real nasty glare Sasuke's way, the blonde young man turned back to Hinata and smiled at her. "Hinata? If you ever need somebody to talk to and I'm around, just find me and I'll hang out with you for as long as you want. Okay?" Waving good-bye to her, Naruto rushed past Team 7 and left the building.

Smirking at that action, Sean walked up and patted Hinata on the shoulder. "Naruto's right Hinata-chan. You shouldn't listen a word Sasuke-teme says. A guy like that doesn't belong on a team until he can learn to respect his teammates. Anyways…" Turning to Sakura, Sean gently gripped her shoulder. "Leave Sasuke Sakura and let's get going. Mister Kitty seems to like you, so let's go and get this mission over with. Plus, it seems Kurenai-san and I are going to have to drill a few more lessons into your head. You may have a thing for Sasuke, but you need to learn when he's in the wrong. In this instance, Sasuke was in the wrong and Naruto was in the right in defending Hinata-san. You're blinded currently by your fangirl tendencies. C'mon and let's go." Glancing towards Kakashi for a moment, Sean smirked and bowed his head for a moment as his fellow sensei did the same back to him and Kurenai. With that, Team 8 left the building while Team 7 went to request another mission for themselves, Sasuke grumbling the entire time.

_**2 weeks later**_

"All right! You three have improved quite a bit. You've actually progressed faster than I expected. Sakura. Your skills with Genjutsu and your water jutsu have improved tremendously. You still need work on your Taijutsu, but all-in-all, Sean and I are impressed. Kiba. Your Taijutsu is exceptional. Your skills with your earth-based jutsu are also quite impressive. Your speed has also impressed us. It's amazing, especially with how much weight those gravity seals add to your body. However, you still need a bit of work when it comes to Genjutsu. You are still unable to escape the higher level Genjutsu and the last time you went up against Sakura, it was honestly a little sad to watch. You still need work in a few areas, but we're very proud of you. Finally…"

Looking towards Naruto, Kurenai smiled sweetly and patted him kindly on the head. "Naruto, I'm amazed with your progress. I never expected you to know the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. With that jutsu in your arsenal, your training has progressed much faster than would be possible without it. You have mastered water-walking, numerous jutsu, and with all those books you've been reading your intelligence has increased at an alarming rate. Your private training sessions with Sean have also helped tremendously. However, you too are in need of further training. Still…"

Smiling at her Genin team, Kurenai nodded proudly and glanced over at Sean. Seeing him nod at her, Kurenai turned back to her team. "With your progress, I do believe it's time that we request a C-rank mission. You've been begging for one for a while, and now it's finally time. So, let's visit the Hokage and see what he has for us!" Smiling happily, she walked off with her team proudly.

_**Hokage's Office**_

"You truly believe they're ready for a C-rank mission? Then I'll give you one. I trust your judgment Sean, Kurenai." Smiling kindly at them, old Sarutobi dug through the papers on his desk and grinned as he pulled out a scroll and handed it over. "I believe this is right up your alley Team 8. This particular mission requires you to deliver a scroll to a man near the border of our dear country. From there, he and his team will make their way back home. Here." Reaching into his desk, Hiruzen Sarutobi pulled out a thick scroll and handed it to Kurenai. "This is the scroll you shall be delivering. Within is important information that is precious to our allies in Wind Country. How they lost something of such importance has yet to be clarified, but we recovered it from a group of bandits within our borders. As such, be on the lookout for more of their group. It's almost guaranteed that they will try to recover said information. Now, you are dismissed." Gesturing with his hand for Team 8 to leave, the elderly Hokage looked at his paperwork and groaned.

Naruto, snickering at his Jiji's misfortune, found himself feeling a little sorry for his grandfather figure. Walking up to him, the blonde-haired boy whispered into his ear and watched at Hiruzen's face lit up in realization before he lay his head upon his desk and began to weep. "Why did I never think of such a thing? All this time…all this TIME!" Laughing at Sarutobi's reaction, Naruto rushed out of the office with his team and went home to pack his things for a five day trip like Kurenai-sensei suggested after they left the building.

_**1 Day Later, on the road**_

Team 8 was on edge. They could each sense that something was wrong. It felt as if they were being watched. Kurenai and Sean were calm, but the Genin were each clutching kunai tightly in their hands, ready for the attack that they were sure was coming anytime now.

Suddenly, Sean stopped and grasped the handle of his katana. Drawing it quickly, he deflected a number of kunai aimed straight at him and Kurenai. Moments later, a group of bandits and a couple of shinobi stepped out of hiding, each one smirking at the group of ninja. "Well well well, lookie at what we have here. A bunch of kids, the Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha, and Sean, the Wind God. If we can take him, we'll be rich! All right men, attack!"

Sighing at the idiots and their foolish endeavors, Sean and Kurenai issued their orders to their Genin team and watched as they took their formation and began plowing through their enemies quite easily. Once all the bandits were defeated, three laying dead due to simple accidental blows to vital locations, Sean stepped forward and pointed his katana at the shinobi brothers. "Genin, step back please. These two are beyond your current abilities. No offence intended, of course." Bowing his head to them, Sean watched as they nodded and quickly took up positions around Kurenai who was ready to cast a powerful Genjutsu if need be.

"Ah, the Wind God wants to challenge us by himself. Well then, we shall not disappoint him, will we brother?" The brothers simply smirked and withdrew their weapons. One wielded a scimitar, the other carried what appeared to be a trident of some sort. With a shrug of his shoulders, Sean moved his left hand to his side and smirked as they neared him. Whispering lowly so they wouldn't hear, he decided to use a powerful wind jutsu to test their abilities. "**Kaze no Yaiba (Blade of Wind)**." With a smirk, Sean watched as the elder brother's right arm was severed from his body by an invisible blade of wind.

The Genin winced as they listened to the man scream out in terrible pain. It wasn't long before the younger brother snarled and used a jutsu of his own as a means to counterattack. "You bastard! **Suiton: Teppōdama (Water Release: Gunshot)**!" Sean watched as three bullets of water shot out of the man's mouth and flew at him at high speeds. Grumbling, Sean quickly went through a series of handsigns and opened his mouth. "**Fūton: Shinkūgyoku (Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere)**!" In an instant, the water bullets were not only stopped, but sent flying backwards towards their user.

Growling angrily, the younger brother grabbed his brother and quickly shunshined away. Grumbling, Sean turned and looked around. Unable to sense his opponents in the vicinity, he sighed and sheathed his katana once more. "Tch. Cowards. They ran away. Are you all okay?" Turning around with a smile, he looked at his shocked Genin team and a sighing Kurenai. "What? What'd I do?"

"Don't you think you went a little overboard Sensei? With one technique, you cut off that guy's arm, and with another you completely overpowered the other one's Water Release jutsu. You were playing with them weren't you?!" Sakura shouted at him. When Sean simply chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, the team sighed and shook their heads. "You're such a showoff Sean-sensei."

"Regardless of all that, it seems that this mission is more than just a C-rank now. It's at least a B-rank with this new development. Two Chunin level shinobi is cause for concern. It makes me wonder what's so important that the enemy would hire ninja to assist them in retrieving this scroll." Kurenai stated, gently patting the scroll in her pouch. Sighing, she looked at her team. "Let's get moving team. We've got four more hours of daylight at the least. Hopefully we can make some good progress. Deactivate your gravity seals everyone and let's go." After the three Genin deactivated their seals, the team set off at high speed towards their destination.

**A/N: Okey dokey, wanted to inform you that I'm actually kind of unsure on the size of the harem. I'm actually considering narrowing down the number to 5 or 6 girls for Naruto. The OC will still have 2 or 3, I don't plan to increase or decrease that number. Again, feel free to keep the suggestions coming.**

**On another note, I plan to send Team 8 to Wave Country as backup for Team 7 in the next chapter for a few reasons. It may seem kind of cliche, but it's for a good reason. I hope you can bear with me and be patient with me. I also apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. I've been extremely tired lately. I recently got a refill on my seizure medication after being out for a while due to money issues. ^^;; It should go without saying that now that I'm back on my medicine after a month or so without that it's really exhausting me. I've also been dealing with other issues. Aaaaanyways, thank you for being patient with me.**

**Finally, there have been a few bad reviews and complaints about the name of the OC, but it's okay with me. The OC is not named after me, but after a friend I used to have okay? ^^; It may not be a Japanese name, but I like it. I hope that all of you will enjoy the character. As for the other complaints...I just want to say that this isn't going to be a 'wankfest' as one person claimed. In fact, it's more towards the romance/relationship-building and story side of things. Also, in the beginning, it's primarily going to be Naruto x Hinata. At least until people learn of Naruto's heritage, then things will start getting hectic for him. Again, I hope you can bear with me until that point. Thanks again. ^^ **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – Collaboration Mission with Team 7**

Upon reaching the small town near the border of Fire Country and Wind Country, the team stopped and glanced around. With a small signal from Sean, the Genin reactivated their gravity seals before stepping further into the town to investigate. "Kurenai-sensei? Sean-sensei? I'm confused. Shouldn't there be people here? It's only 7:00 PM isn't it? What the heck's going on?" Sakura asked as Team 8 cautiously looked around.

Mere moments later, the group was surrounded. Grumbling softly to himself, Sean held up his hand and signaled for the group to remain calm as he and Kurenai looked to the obvious leader of the bandits and the shinobi brothers that she had hired. "I have to admit, I kind of expected this. The brothers weren't wearing headbands to signify what village they were from, but you…" Sighing softly, Sean shook his head and stared calmly at the kunoichi standing across from him. "A rogue ninja from Sunagakure. I suppose it makes sense at least. When you went rogue, you stole some information that would ensure that you would be able to join another hidden village correct? Let me guess. You were heading for Kirigakure perhaps? Nobody would expect for you to go there now, would they? However, you didn't expect for a group of Konoha Chunin to retrieve the scroll from the group of bandits you had hired to sneak it through our country, did you?" At the snarl that the rogue Suna Chunin gave to him, Sean smirked. "I thought so. That was all the answer I needed darlin'."

Glancing at Kurenai, Sean nodded and turned to Naruto and Kiba. "Naruto, Kiba? I want the two of you to take on the Chunin that attacked us before. Be careful and don't underestimate them. We have faith that you can defeat them so long as you two work together. Kurenai? What would you like to do?"

Kurenai smiled at Sean and glanced at Sakura a moment before looking back at him. "Sean, can I request that you let me handle their leader? I would like you and Sakura to handle the bandits. It would be a good experience for her, and you can easily watch her back. After all, as you've said numerous times before: 'The wind speaks to you.' Correct?" Giggling softly, she watched as Sean nodded and gave her an affirmative before he and Sakura went off to finish off what remained of the kunoichi's bandits.

_**Naruto & Kiba**_

"Ah, so the little boys want to take us on this time? Personally, I was hoping to have the chance to destroy your precious sensei. After he defeated us last time and took my brother's arm, we wanted to pay him back!" As the younger brother snarled and raised his trident, his brother patted him with his left arm and smiled as he shook his head.

"Brother, calm yourself. I may be down an arm, but it's more than enough to use my techniques and help you destroy these little punks. After all, I doubt they can even put up much of a fight against the Vengeful Brothers. Correct dear brother?" With a smirk, the two brothers nodded to each other before turning to their foes. "Now come little Genin and let us play a little before we end your pathetic existence!"

Kiba sighed and shook his head. "Naruto? These guys are pathetic. One's a cripple and the other's a moron with a short fuse. Would you care to try our combination attack? It might be kind of fun. That, and it would be a good test to see how powerful it is when used against true opponents and not our crazy sensei." Glancing back at Sean, Kiba chuckled and turned back to the brothers as he set Akamaru down and tossed him a food pill. "C'mon Akamaru, time to transform buddy!"

Naruto glanced at his best friend and smirked as soon as he and Akamaru used the **Jūjin Bunshin (Beast Human Clone)** technique. As soon as Akamaru was transformed and they were ready, Naruto turned back to face the brothers that his sensei had crippled the last time they met. "I'm ready Kiba. Let's show them why they should never underestimate a couple of 'kids' like us!" With that, Naruto quickly went through a few handseals while Kiba and Akamaru charged forward with a Gatsuga.

When the blonde-haired Genin was finished with his handsigns, he thrust his hands forward and shouted, "**Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)**!" A powerful burst of wind surrounded the Kiba/Akamaru duo and created numerous slashing blades around them as they continued to spin forward. When the dog and master separated and came around from the sides, the two brothers jumped away, but it just wasn't enough. As Akamaru and Kiba neared each other, they shot up at an angle, both of them aiming for a different brother. It didn't take long for both brothers to drop to the ground bleeding from numerous cuts and gashes across their bodies.

Once Kiba and Akamaru touched the ground, the dog rushed to his master's side and barked happily while his tail wagged left and right. It appeared that they had won their battle, but Kiba groaned when he was suddenly hit from behind and he was sent skidding across the ground, his face hitting the dirt. "Ow. Dammit what the hell was that?!"

Naruto grumbled angrily. The younger brother was standing, but the elder of the two didn't even appear to be breathing. As the younger brother gripped his trident tight and thrust it forward at Akamaru, Naruto focused chakra to the soles of his feet and quickly vanished, reappearing just a moment later in front of the weapon with a kunai outstretched to block the blow. Sadly, the force with which his enemy thrust his weapon forward cleaved the kunai in two and he soon felt a terrible pain in his side and stomach as two prongs of the trident embedded themselves into his skin. "Y-You bastard. How dare you target Akamaru?!"

While the trident was stuck in his stomach, the blonde Genin gripped it tight and refused to let it go. Meanwhile, he held his right hand out and smirked while blood leaked slowly from his wounds. "You'd best be prepared for some pain, punk!" Within seconds, a sphere of pure, blue chakra appeared swirling at incredible speeds in the palm of Naruto's hand.

Sensing danger, Naruto's opponent released his weapon and jumped backwards right as Naruto thrust his hand forward and shouted, "**Rasengan (Spiraling Sphere)**!" Feeling he was safely out of harm's way, he started to laugh at the blonde as he quickly went through his own handsigns. Sadly, he forgot about the blonde's partner. The last thing he heard before blacking out was Kiba shouting out, "**Tsūga (Passing Fang)**!"

_**Sean & Sakura**_

"Sean-sensei, would you mind if I took half? That'll give both of us nine bandits to defeat and I'm looking forward to testing my skills on these jerks." Sakura pleaded as she looked up at her team's co-sensei. When she saw him nod at her, Sakura grinned and pulled out two kunai, holding them in a reverse grip as she dashed forward towards her opponents.

"Lookie here everybody! A lil' girl wants to play with us. How's about we show her a real good time, right fellas?" One of the bandits suggested right before the many bandits began to chuckle. It didn't take long for the little girl to suddenly disappear before their eyes. Glancing around, they heard screams as three of the bandits suddenly dropped, their blood splattering on each other and on the ground. Eyes widening, they took up defensive stances and prepared to defend themselves against their opponent.

When Sakura reappeared, she laughed at them and shook her head. "You guys are pathetic. Kurenai-sensei and Sean-sensei trained the three of us really well this past month. Believe it or not, I'm the weakest one on this team and I'm not even going at top speed yet. You're lucky I have my gravity seals on, otherwise you'd all be dead by now." With a smirk, Sakura wiped the blood from her kunai and slipped them away again. It wasn't long before she began going through a series of handsigns.

"Sh-shit! Get her!" Soon enough, all of the bandits were charging at the young Genin, but they didn't expect for the man known as the "Wind God" to suddenly appear before them with a smirk. "Dammit! Get the hell out of our way you punk!" When the young bandit at the front swung at Sean with his sword, he groaned and collapsed to his knees. "W-What the hell…just happened…?"

Soon after, both Sean and Sakura disappeared from view and all the bandits began looking around for them. When leaves began swirling around them, the bandits knew they were in trouble. Soon enough, all of them began to scream while Sakura fell to her knees, exhausted. "S-Sean-sensei…you go ahead. I don't know how Kurenai-sensei m-makes it look so easy. Trapping so many in such a Genjutsu…just hurry, please."

Sean chuckled softly and patted her atop her head. "You did well Sakura-san. I'm proud of you." It didn't take long for Sean to take hold of his katana and smirk wickedly as he turned to the horror-stricken bandits. In a flash, Sean was on the other side of the group of fifteen bandits, quickly wiping a small trickle of blood from his blade. As he slid it back into its sheathe, each of the bandits suddenly stopped screaming and their upper halves fell to the ground. All of the bandits were now deceased, none of them ever standing a chance against the sensei/student pair.

Once Sean returned to Sakura's side, he helped her to her feet and shunshined over to Naruto and Kiba. Kneeling down, he let Sakura go so she could watch Kurenai's fight while he went about tending to Naruto's wounds. _These wounds of his will heal soon enough, but I'll patch him up for now just so his teammates don't get suspicious._ Sean thought silently to himself as he pulled out his first aid kit and went to work.

_**Kurenai**_

While the others were finishing off their opponents, Kurenai was in a heated battle with the kunoichi from Suna. Her wind and lightning jutsu were quite powerful, but so far they were nothing that the Genjutsu Mistress couldn't handle on her own. After all, between Kakashi, Sean, and Asuma, she had plenty of practice with those particular elements. On top of that, Kakashi and Sean had actually helped her learn how to counter said elements quite effectively should the need to do so ever arise.

With a low sigh, Kurenai decided to take a few calming breaths before she set herself on her next course of action. After bribing her fellow sensei on Team 8, Sean finally taught her a couple of wind jutsu, although her affinity was not wind. Thus, her next move would simply be a matter of luck if nothing else. _She seems to use a lightning jutsu after using two wind jutsu. Let's hope she keeps the pattern up. I have to force her into using another wind jutsu before she'll switch to a lightning jutsu. Here goes nothing…_ Kurenai thought to herself as she drew a kunai and glared at her opponent.

"Why do you keep drawing those dinky little things? I'll just send it right back at you again and again and again. For a Jonin from Konoha, you sure aren't very bright are you?" Chuckling to herself, the rogue kunoichi performed a few handsigns and watched calmly as Kurenai threw the kunai at her face. Sighing, the woman opened her mouth and blew hard. "**Fūton: Shinkūgyoku (Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere)**!"

As soon as her kunai came flying back at her, the Genjutsu specialist dove to the side and rolled along the ground for a moment before quickly shooting up and glaring hatefully at the woman across from her once more. When she started flying through handsigns, she found herself smirking inside as the woman went through handsigns of her own. The crimson-eyed mistress purposefully let the rogue kunoichi finish first and laughed triumphantly on the inside as it was just like she had predicted. "**Raiton: Jibashi (Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder)**!" Kurenai noticed that despite the powerful technique, it was nowhere near what it could be. It was simply small lightning bolts shooting through the air towards her.

Allowing a small smirk to grace her features, Kurenai silently thanked Sean for what she was about to do. Finishing her handsigns, the gorgeous, crimson-eyed mistress threw her hands forward and shouted, "**Futon: Daitoppa**!" When it cancelled out the woman's lightning and lifted her off the ground, Kurenai felt like cheering because her plan actually _worked_! It only made her happier when the woman was slammed HARD into one of the nearby buildings.

When the dust finally settled, the ex-Suna kunoichi groaned and began stumbling forward towards her opponent. Her left arm hung limply at her side and blood was caking the left side of her face. "Y-You…bitch! I'll fucking kill you!" When Kurenai suddenly disappeared, she looked around frantically for her opponent, only to suddenly feel herself rooted to the spot she had been standing. "D-Dammit! Why can't I…m-move?" Shivering, she realized what was going on only too late. A tree had sprouted around her and Kurenai held a kunai to her neck.

"**Magen: Jubaku Satsu (Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death)**! Sorry, but you put my precious students in danger and caused us a great deal of trouble. And from what we've seen, you probably killed the poor citizens in this town as well, didn't you? It's over for you!" Before her opponent could even react appropriately, Kurenai embedded the kunai deep into her neck and released her, watching as she fell to the ground lifeless.

Sighing heavily, Kurenai looked to her team and brushed a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry you had to deal with such a thing so soon in your careers as shinobi Naruto, Kiba, and Sakura. Killing is never easy, and should you need it, Sean and I are here for you three to talk to whenever you need. Sean? Can you write a letter to send back to Hokage-sama for us? I will write a letter and send it forward to Kazekage-sama to inform him of what has transpired here. Our contact should be about an hour's distance away, so after disposing of these bodies and checking for any sign of the townspeople, I would suggest we get a move on and finish our mission before resting. Is everyone in agreement?"

The three Genin simply nodded with Naruto clutching at his side. As the group of five split up, each of the Genin found themselves shivering at the events that just transpired. Each of them was so caught up in the moment that the repercussions of what they had just done were lost on them. Now that the fighting was over, what they had done was now weighing heavily on their minds. Although such a thing was to be expected in their careers, these were their first kills. Chances are that tonight their dreams would be plagued by nightmares.

_**Sean**_

Sean sighed as he found a spot just outside the small village. After writing the letter to the Hokage to inform him about the events that had transpired so far, Sean rolled up the scroll, bound it with some wire, and began the handsigns for the summoning he was about to perform. With his bloody thumb, he slammed his hand on the ground and screamed out: "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)**!" After a brief moment, a young wind serpent appeared and floated before its master.

"**Sean-sama! Good to see you. You have something for me to deliver?**" When Sean simply nodded and strapped it to his summon's back, Sean patted the young wind serpent atop its head. "Young Delfan, can you please deliver this to Hokage-sama for me? It's important. I wish I could stay and chat with you, but my team is waiting for me to return. We are not yet finished with our mission, and I have requested that Hokage-sama up the difficulty of this mission to B-rank and that we be paid accordingly. If not for Kurenai-san and myself, then for the Genin at least. Anyways, Delfan, please be on your way. Be well, my friend." Bowing his head, Sean watched as his summon disappeared and smiled softly.

_**1 Hour Later/Border of the Land of Fire, closest to the Land of Wind**_

Kurenai held out the scroll to the envoy from the Land of Wind and bowed her head slightly. "We apologize for being late. We were held up slightly by a group of bandits led by a missing-nin from Suna. The problem has been dealt with, and I sent a letter to your Kazekage. Be well, be careful, and please give our best wishes to your Kazekage for us if you will." Smiling kindly at them, Kurenai watched as they handed over a small scroll and turned to leave.

After they were out of sight, the crimson mistress looked at the scroll and frowned. "Hokage-sama will pay us when we return to Konoha. So…what is this I wonder?" Handing it to Sean, she watched as he unfurled it and drew some blood over the seal. What popped out confused her greatly. "Two kodachi? Huh…" Turning to Naruto, Sean handed them over and smirked a bit. "Well, while these aren't the weapons I had planned to instruct you to use, these will work for now if you want them. I have to admit, the craftsmanship is impressive. I wonder if they made these." With a shrug of his shoulders, Sean was about to head to the inn and get some rooms for the night when he heard a hawk screech as it descended upon him.

Sighing heavily, the Wind God outstretched his arm and allowed the bird to land, its talons digging into his arm somewhat. Ignoring the slight pain to his arm, Sean untied the small paper tied to one of its legs. Petting it calmly on its head, the kind young man watched as it took off before he unrolled the paper and began to read aloud.

"_Team 8,_

_ Team 7 has run into an unexpected problem on their latest mission. Recently, Sasuke Uchiha got fed up with all the D-rank missions Kakashi had requested of them, thus I decided to give them what was _supposed_ to be a simple escort and protection mission to the Land of Waves. Sadly, Kakashi sent me a letter shortly after they left that informed me of a pair of Chunin, the Demon Brothers, that attacked he and his team on their way to Wave. He believes that, with Gato behind the troubles in Wave Country, that stronger ninja may target the bridge builder next._

_ Kakashi has requested assistance to complete this mission. As he has specifically requested Team 8 as his backup, I sent this letter out as quickly as I could upon writing it. Hopefully you can reach the Land of Waves within three days. I do not know what dangers await Team 7, but it would be prudent for you to leave as soon as possible. Hurry!_

_ ~Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure_"

Hearing his team groan, Sean found himself chuckling lightly. "Well team, it seems we can't rest just yet. If things are as bad as Kakashi made them sound, we should leave immediately. I promise that if any of you become exhausted, I will carry you. I can use the wind to help speed me along, so it's no problem. I recommend you deactivate your gravity seals once more as time is of the essence. Kurenai-san, are you ready to leave?" Upon seeing her nod and seeing his Genin nod as well, Sean grinned and the team took off.

_**Two Days Later**_

Panting and groaning in agony from pushing themselves so much, the three Genin and their sensei found themselves outside the bridge builder's (Tazuna) house. Wrapping her knuckles upon the door, Kurenai waited for someone to open the door so they could enter and _rest_. When a beautiful woman that appeared to be in her late twenties opened the door, they bowed their heads and did their best to calm their breathing enough to speak.

"Please dear Lady, may we enter and relax in your humble abode? We've been running almost nonstop for the past two days. We are exhausted and need our rest." Kurenai stated. When Tsunami nodded her head and invited them inside, Team 8 made their way inside and collapsed on the couches, groaning in agony. Tsunami soon ventured into the kitchen and explained that food would be ready in a matter of moments.

"If you do not mind my asking, where are the members of Team 7? Kurenai-san and I have questions for Kakashi-san and we need to know which rooms are available for use. Later, I would like to take our Genin out to train them and prepare them accordingly depending on the threat we now face." Sean explained calmly now that he had caught his breath.

Soon, Kakashi walked through the door and waved calmly. Hobbling over to them on his crutches, Sean chuckled softly and shook his head as he made room for the Copy Ninja to sit beside him. "Team 7 is training currently. Hinata is helping her teammates with the tree-climbing exercise, though Sasuke continues to try and put her down. Now, to fill you all in…"

It took some time, but Kakashi managed to fill Team 8 in on the battle with Zabuza, the mysterious hunter-nin, why he was in the shape he was in, the situation with Gato, and the estimated amount of time that they would likely be in Wave Country. When all was said and done, Sean let out a deep sigh and lightly thwacked Kakashi on the back of his head. "You dang moron. Be careful when you use the Sharingan dammit! Are you trying to make your friends worry about you?" Grumbling a bit, Sean turned his head away and huffed while Kakashi rubbed the back of his head and apologized a few times for his behavior.

Not long after, Tsunami entered the room with dishes stacked with a delectable dinner for each of the ninja assigned to protect her dear father. Sadly, much to the displeasure of Sean, Kurenai, and Sakura, Naruto and Kiba dug in quite fiercely into their meals. If they weren't so hungry, the Jonin senseis and Sakura wouldn't have eaten at all. Even Akamaru ate the food Kiba gave to him in a polite fashion.

About thirty minutes later, both Hinata and Shino entered the house and sat beside their friends. Eating calmly, Hinata found herself occasionally glancing at Naruto while Shino looked to the sensei and calmly began to answer their unspoken question. "Sasuke didn't want to come back until he made more progress on the exercise. He's going to end up exhausting himself at the rate he's moving at. With Hinata and I having finished the exercise, I think he became incredibly jealous and it has fueled the anger in his heart. Perhaps one of us should venture out and drag him back before it becomes too dark?" Shino suggested calmly before he worked on finishing his meal.

Sakura eagerly shot up and rushed to the door. When Kakashi explained where she could find her dear 'Sasuke-kun', she bolted out of the house to go and greet her crush. Sighing and shaking his head, Sean smiled at the remaining Genin and bowed his head. "I assume you two are doing well Hinata, Shino? You appear to be in good spirits despite Sasuke's belittling you at practically every turn I would imagine."

Hinata smiled and nodded her head. "Having the opportunity to train with Naruto-kun those few days we had the chance to really helped. He helped me learn tree-climbing and even tried to teach me a few jutsu, but I'm afraid I didn't take to them very well." Lowering her head, the Hyuuga heiress sighed sadly before she felt a hand on her shoulder. Glancing to her left, she realized that it was Naruto giving her a few reassuring squeezes. Blushing furiously, she shook her head and quickly looked away. "N-N-Naruto-kun…s-sorry."

Naruto simply chuckled softly and shook his head. "No need to apologize Hinata-chan. You should know I'm here for you whenever you need me. Ignore Sasuke-teme and anyone else who tries to put you down. I may not be the best teacher, but I am trying to help you. With Sean-sensei and Kurenai-sensei here, along with your own sensei to help out, I'm sure we can get you ready for the upcoming battles with Zabuza and that strange hunter-nin. You'll kick ass dattebayo!" When Hinata simply turned redder and eventually fainted, Naruto grumbled and glared at Sean when he started to laugh. "It's not funny sensei! I'm trying to help her get over that problem, but with her crush on me I dunno what to do!"

Kurenai smiled and gently patted Naruto on his shoulder. "Don't worry too much about it Naruto. Hinata will come around with time and you two will get to spend a lot more time together, I'm sure. Though if I find out you take her on dates to Ichiraku's Ramen, I'll use such a nasty Genjutsu on you that you'll never feel safe again. It's okay to take her there _occasionally_, but not everybody worships ramen the way you do." When Naruto nodded, the Genjutsu mistress smiled and looked to Tsunami. "Can you please lead Naruto to Hinata's room? It would be a good idea to lay her to rest in her bed for now. Then we would appreciate it if you could show us to our rooms. Please and thank you." Bowing her head to the kind woman, Kurenai watched as Tazuna's daughter led Naruto off up the stairs.

At Sean's smirk, the others in the room sighed heavily. "We know that look. You have something planned for the Genin don't you? Please, **please** wait until tomorrow. They're tired at the moment and don't have the energy for whatever you have in mind. Please, please, please let them rest for tonight. If you do, I promise Kakashi-san and I will help you with whatever you have planned." Kurenai pleaded. At this, the Wind God simply chuckled and nodded his head.

"That sounds fair to me. Shino, Kiba, why don't you two go on and speak with Tsunami-san and have her guide you to your rooms. Inform Naruto that he's to rest as well. Knowing him he'll try to argue, so if you have to tell him that if he tries to leave, he'll have to deal with me and it won't be pretty. Now go, go. When Sakura returns with Sasuke, I'll send them to rest as well. Kurenai-san and I would like to talk with Kakashi-san for a while before we hit the hay." When the Genin nodded, the three sensei watched as Kiba lifted Akamaru into his arms before Kiba and Shino walked off together.

"I assume you have some plan to deal with the 'Demon of the Mist' Kakashi-san? This is your mission, so Team 8 will follow your lead." Kurenai said calmly as soon as the Genin were out of sight. When Kakashi nodded, the Crimson Mistress smiled slightly and looked to Sean when Kakashi motioned his hand towards him. "Figures you would use our local Wind God in some way. Tell us the plan."

_**Next morning – 8:00 AM**_

"Sasuke, stop trying to force it and calm down. You're letting your jealousy cloud your judgment. If you _ever_ want to reach the top of these trees, you need to **focus**!" Kakashi had been trying to lecture Sasuke for the past two hours since venturing out to this spot with his student again. If it wasn't for the fact that Sasuke had the Sharingan, albeit with only one tomoe in both eyes, and the fact that the Council was so set on pampering the 'last Uchiha', Kakashi would have been seriously tempted to send him back to the academy for his attitude alone. He was such a pompous jerk who let his anger get in the way of his judgment at every turn. On top of that he constantly belittled his teammates and tried to make himself sound more important than anyone else in the village. Sadly, despite having the most chakra out of the three Genin on Team 7, Sasuke was proving to be the least effective teammate on the team.

Grumbling at this, Sasuke stepped back and tried to calm himself down as he looked up at the tree again. So far he had made it past the designated branch, but he just wasn't making any more progress than that. What frustrated him even more was the fact that while Hinata was off watching over Tazuna, Shino was with Team 8 learning jutsu or who-knows-what! At this time, he, the mighty Uchiha, was stuck trying to climb a stupid tree! Grumbling again when Kakashi insisted he try again, Sasuke tried his best to calm down and began again.

_**With Sean & Shino**_

"I have to admit, I'm not surprised by your elemental affinity Shino. I kind of expected you to have the earth affinity. So, because I was proven right, I want you to study up on the information in this scroll here and do the exercises before you try to learn any of the jutsu. Kiba's already in pretty good shape with his earth-based training." Nodding his head proudly, Sean handed over a scroll to Shino and watched as the bug-user walked off to sit under a tree and study up.

Meanwhile, the Wind God had Naruto, Sakura, Kiba, and Akamaru working with Kurenai to improve themselves. Glancing towards them, Sean found himself smiling at their progress thus far. _I have to admit, they've come a long way from when Team 8 was first formed nearly a month ago. I'm quite proud of them. Sakura's still an annoying fangirl, but we've been beating that out of her. Almost literally._ Chuckling at his own thoughts, Sean turned and glanced towards the area Kakashi was training Sasuke in tree-climbing. Shaking his head, the Wind God closed his eyes and began to meditate. At this point in time, until his team required him for more training, Sean simply wanted to focus his mind and think calmly about the upcoming battles.

Soon enough, Sean actually found his thoughts wandering to the upcoming Chunin Exams. _Hmm. After this mission, we'll take on a few more C-ranks and the rest of the missions will likely be D-ranks until they qualify. During the months before the Exams, Kurenai and I will train them harder than ever. Team 8 will definitely make it through to the final round and they'll kick ass the entire time. Of course, I'll have to check and see if Jiraiya-san is in Konoha when we return. The Uzumaki's were seal masters and he's the only seal master I can think of that could help Naruto learn his family's sealing jutsu. He might also be able to help Naruto make sense of the Hiraishin now that I think on it._

With a shrug of his shoulders, Sean turned his thoughts to the other members of Team 8. _Sakura should learn more Genjutsu from Kurenai, but I'll also be helping her with her elemental jutsu. I suppose I could further train her in the use of kunai and shuriken, but there are those much better than me that could perhaps teach her more than I could. As for Kiba and Akamaru, I could work with the Inuzuka women and train him until he drops I suppose. I'm sure they have plenty more they could teach him about the Inuzuka style of fighting. On top of that, I could try and teach him a little about wind jutsu. If he could learn a few wind jutsu, he could at least attempt to combat lightning jutsu when it's used against him. It all really depends on how long it takes him to truly understand what I'll be trying to teach him._

Frowning at that, Sean ruffled his hair somewhat before he heard his name being called. Turning around, the Jonin stood up and waved his hand. "Coming, coming. Sorry, I was thinking on a few things. All right you three, let's get started on your physical training…"

_**Two Days Later – Nighttime**_

While joking around and eating dinner with the other members of Team 8 and the members of Team 7, Naruto found himself feeling ecstatic. After all the training he and the others had been put through, he honestly felt kind of invincible. Sadly, it all came crashing down when the little brat known as Inari suddenly walked up and thrust a finger in his direction. "Why do you keep laughing and smiling?! Don't you know that you're going to die soon?! Everyone that stands up to Gato dies! You should leave while you still can!"

Sighing at this, Naruto looked towards his 'Wind-sensei' and then glanced back at Inari. "Listen kid, I dunno what happened to make you this way, but I've got a few things to say to you. One: we're trained ninja and none of us is gonna die. This Gato guy? He's just a punk that'll meet his end sooner or later. When compared to great ninja like us, that idiot doesn't stand a chance. Two: whatever happened to you doesn't matter in the slightest. So the hell what if you lost somebody? It doesn't give you the right to act like a brat every second of every day accusing us of shit and trying to make us leave. Three: I've had it pretty damn hard too. I'm sure you've had a rough time since this Gato jerk showed up, but believe me when I say you've got it pretty damn good Inari!"

Grumbling, Naruto looked at the others and then closed his eyes for a moment before he set down his food and made his way to the front door. "Inari. For a long time…I was alone. I'm hated in my village. Hardly anybody actually respects me. Wind-sensei and a few others looked out for me when they could, but when they weren't around…" Shivering slightly, Naruto went quiet and shook his head. "Never mind. Just shut up and enjoy what you've got you little brat. I'm gonna go out for a while." With a shrug of his shoulders, the blonde-haired, knucklehead ninja left the house and disappeared into the forest.

Back at the house, Inari stood dumbstruck by what just transpired. Kakashi soon rose and walked over to him. Gently taking the kid's hand, the Copycat Ninja led him outside and sat with him at the pier nearby. "Inari? He's not really mad at you. You know that right?" Upon seeing the little kid nod in response, Kakashi gave him an eye smile and nodded his head. "Good. Naruto's had a rough life back where we're from. Despite what he said about some people looking out for him when they could…for the most part he's been alone. Naruto never knew his parents as they died when he was born. The exact details aren't widely known; even I don't know them fully. People blame him for the Yondaime Hokage's death and believe he's a demon when he's not. When he was younger, before he became a ninja, Naruto was beaten, harassed, insulted, and more virtually every day. On his birthday, it was usually much worse. Like he said, you should be happy with the time you got to spend with Kaiza and the time you still get to spend with your mother and grandfather. They love you very much and are doing their best to keep you healthy and safe, despite everything that's happened thus far."

At the look of shock on Inari's face, Kakashi gave another eye smile and nodded his head. "Yes, your mother told me the story recently about your adopted father and how he stood up to Gato. It's a shame what happened to him, but you should remember him as a hero rather than a fool who threw his life away for nothing. It might help somewhat in the end. Now, what say we go back inside, finish our dinner, and get some rest all right Inari?" At the little boy's nod and the small smile adorning his face, Kakashi rose and took his hand, leading the young boy inside.

_**Naruto**_

Despite not being angry, the young Genin had no intention of returning to the house just yet. In fact, at the moment, he was training himself harder than he ever had before. He wanted to get even stronger so whatever happened with Inari wouldn't ever happen to anyone he cared for. Seeing somebody like that really rubbed Naruto the wrong way and he wouldn't be able to handle it if Hinata or another of his dear friends began to suffer in such a way.

Grunting and sweating, the blonde-haired young man summoned even more Kage Bunshins into the clearing and lowered his head slightly for just a moment before pointing his finger at them all. "C'mon! I need to get stronger, so come at me! I'm going to practice the jutsu that Sean-sensei taught me and perfect my darn Taijutsu style before he lectures me anymore!" With that, Naruto continued with his harsh training regimen throughout the night.

_**Next morning – 7:00 AM**_

Naruto suddenly awoke when he felt a presence far too close for comfort. Flipping forward onto his feet, he turned around with a kunai clutched tightly in his hands. Upon seeing a woman that appeared to be just a few years older than he was, the blonde relaxed and put his weapon away. "You shouldn't scare me like that. I could have seriously hurt you Miss…?"

Chuckling softly to herself, the lovely young lass rose and bowed slightly to the young ninja. "Haku. My name is Haku. 'Tis a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mister…?"

"Naruto Uzumaki. It's nice to meetcha Haku! What are you doing all the way out here in the middle of the forest? You never know what kind of creeps might be lurking out here. You really ought to be more careful!" Chuckling softly to himself, the blonde-haired ninja walked over to the lass and held out his hand. When she reciprocated the gesture and shook his hand, Naruto grinned widely and nodded his head at her.

Haku giggled a moment before responding. "I'm picking herbs for my uncle. He's sick you see and I'm working on a cure to help him recover faster. You can help me if you'd like Uzumaki-san?" When Naruto began to laugh, Haku looked at him strangely for a moment and frowned. "What's so funny?"

Naruto laughed a moment longer before shaking his head. "You don't need to be so formal with me Haku-chan. Just call me Naruto. I don't really deserve that kind of respect from anybody. I'm not all that special just yet. I'm still learning from my sensei after all. I've got a heck of a long way to go yet before I can achieve my goals." After taking a moment to calm down, the kind-hearted young man nodded his head and began to help her look around. "I'll gladly help you look for herbs to help your uncle. It'd be a shame if you were to lose him. I can tell he means a lot to you Haku-chan."

As Haku nodded, she glanced at him on occasion as they continued to pick herbs for Zabuza. "Yes, my uncle is very precious to me. But enough about that, I actually have a question for you. Seeing as you are a ninja, would you mind telling me what it is that you are fighting for? What are these dreams you speak of Naruto-san?" Upon seeing him freeze for a moment, Haku went to apologize, but Naruto soon stopped her with his ever present grin.

"It's pretty simple actually. I want to become the Hokage of my village, Konohagakure. Despite how I've been treated and how lonely I've been, I still want to keep the people of the village safe. Not only that, but I want to earn their respect as well. I'm working towards becoming the most powerful ninja in the village to achieve these dreams. Sounds kinda stupid though when I think about it. All most of the people have ever done is beat me or treat me like crap and here I am saying I want to protect all of them. I must be an idiot or something, huh Haku-chan?" Naruto frowned and scratched the back of his head nervously, fearing that this cute young lass would make fun of him and his dreams.

Haku simply smiled and shook her head. "That's not stupid of you Naruto-san. In fact, you sound like a very noble young man. Tell me though, do you have people that you hold dear to your heart? People that you would give anything to keep safe and happy?"

Naruto smiled softly and nodded his head immediately. "Of course. Hinata-chan, Kiba and his dog Akamaru, Hina-chan (Kiba's sister), Tsume, Sean-sensei, Kurenai-sensei, Kakashi (as weird as he may be), Shino…heck, I have lots of people I'd do anything for. Jiji-sama, the Hokage of Konohagakure, is just another person I'd give anything for. I refuse to let anything bad happen to any of them, though I know that sometimes it might be out of my control. Still, I'll always do my best to keep them all happy." Grinning still, Naruto found himself suddenly frowning at the look on Haku's face. "Are you okay Haku-chan? What's wrong?"

Haku simply smiled and shook her head, wiping away a small trickle of a tear that made its way down her face. "Nothing's wrong Naruto-san. I'm just glad to have met you is all. You truly are a very noble young man. I truly believe that you will become a great ninja. Never give up on your dreams Naruto-san. I have to go now. I am looking forward to meeting you again." Moving closer to him, the kind young woman placed a gentle kiss upon the blonde's cheek before walking off with her basket of herbs.

As Naruto sat there, his face soon lit up in a dark shade of red. What Haku had done was totally unexpected for him. It was actually to the point where he didn't even notice Sasuke approach until he was flicked in the forehead. "Dammit Dobe, wake the hell up. I was sent to tell you breakfast was ready. Get back to the house so they stop worrying about you, you idiot. I'm going to work on that technique Kakashi-sensei showed me before I head back. See ya later Dobe!" Snickering at the angry expression on Naruto's face, Sasuke raised a hand, waved good-bye, and disappeared into the forest.

_**Next Day – 11:00 AM**_

Naruto found himself grumbling as he waited with Kiba at Tazuna's house while everybody else went with the bridge builder to work on finishing the bridge. As he glanced over his shoulder at Tsunami washing dishes in the kitchen sink, he blinked a moment when the front door burst open and two samurai stood in the doorway with their weapons at the ready. With a heavy sigh, Naruto glanced towards his best friend and his dog. "Well, looks like Sean-sensei was right and Gato sent a couple of weaklings. Ah well, let's deal with them and be on our way. Sound good Kiba?"

Kiba smirked and nodded his head. When the samurai went to speak, they both suddenly found themselves doubling over in pain before collapsing unconscious to the ground. The two friends tied them up and were about to leave when Inari shouted for Naruto. When the blonde turned around, he smiled and gave Inari a thumbs-up. "Don't worry Inari, we'll be fine. You and your mom should be safe now, so Kiba and I are gonna go kick some butt and help save the day. Gato's goin' down and so are all his men, I promise dattebayo!" Gently patting the kid on the head, Naruto and Kiba turned and dashed off.

Inari turned to his mother and grinned as Naruto usually did. "Heh, he really is strong isn't he Kaa-san? C'mon, we should go too!" When his mother tried to argue with him and question his motives for wanting to do such a thing, Inari huffed and puffed for a moment before folding his arms across his chest. "Kaa-san, we need to get the others and go help out at the bridge! It's important!" And with that, he rushed off with his mother following shortly after.

_**At the Bridge**_

Sean glanced over his shoulder at the strange ice mirrors. "Well that sure is an interesting jutsu, isn't it Kakashi-san? Still, I've faith in Sasuke and Shino, they should be able to handle it." Smirking, the Wind God turned to face Zabuza and grinned. "I'd say go help out, but something tells me Zabuza-teme won't let us go so easily. Isn't that right oh mighty 'Demon of the Mist'?" Sean said with a smirk.

Zabuza groaned and looked towards Kakashi. "What the hell is with your friend? I've never seen him before and he's already getting on my damn nerves." Looking back towards Sean, the Demon of the Mist let out a sigh and formed his handsigns for the **Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hiding in Mist Technique)** before a heavy, well, _heavier_ mist rolled in. "Let's see you find me now Kakashi! Your precious Sharingan can't possibly pinpoint me in mist this thick. Yes, I realized the weakness behind your precious doujutsu Kakashi, and I doubt your friend can do anything to dispel my technique either, right punk?!"

With a sigh, Sean decided to let the so-called 'Demon' believe he had the upper hand and simply drew his katana, clutching it tightly in his hand. "Oh Kakashi-san, whatever shall we do?" Chuckling softly at his sarcasm, the Wind God twirled his katana around in his hand before blocking a strike from Zabuza's Kubikiribōchō (Decapitating Carving Knife) with a small smirk. When Zabuza's eyes went wide, Sean grinned wider. "I'm not so weak that I can't defend myself against you Zabuza Momochi. You'd do well not to underestimate the two of us when we're working as a team!"

_**Sasuke & Shino**_

Sasuke groaned while his Sharingan eyes worked overtime to try and keep up with Haku's speed. The more ice senbon that pierced his skin, the worse he began to feel. Shino wasn't faring much better, though his bugs had weakened Haku somewhat before they got into this terrible mess. Still, nothing they did seemed to be effective enough to give them even a small advantage.

Finally, after so much damage, Sasuke turned to his teammate and grumbled a moment before speaking while they continued to try and dodge as many attacks as possible. "Listen Shino, we need to get the hell out of here! When I give the signal, run as fast as you can to one of the openings and do whatever you can to break free. I'll do the same, but I'll move in the opposite direction. If we're lucky, at least one of us will make it outside where we might have more luck. Got it?" When Shino nodded his head, Sasuke nodded as well and the two continued to try and dodge for a while longer.

Soon enough, the two saw their opening and Sasuke signaled for Shino to make his move. Running in opposite directions, both neared an opening only for the two of them to be sent tumbling backwards into each other, both suffering more injuries than they had before. Frustrated, Sasuke stood up and shouted at his foe. "Dammit! What the hell is going on?! At least one of us should have been able to make it out of here!"

Shino sighed and soon stood up. As he sent his bugs out in an attempt to drain more chakra from the Kiri hunter-nin, Sasuke went through handsigns to prepare for his Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu) only for him to have to cancel it and dive to the side to avoid more ice senbon. Growling angrily, he prepared to try another tactic, only for Shino to suddenly scream out and collapse to the ground as his body was suddenly riddled with too many ice senbon for him to count at the moment. Practically snarling, Sasuke prepared to try another attack, only for Haku to suddenly vanish into another mirror as a shuriken crashed into the mirror he had been zipping out of. Glancing to the side, he smirked as he saw the Dobe and his friend. _Finally, maybe they can help out. Shino's useless right now, and this jerk's moving far too fast to see at the moment. Attacking from inside and outside may just give us the edge we need to win this fight!_

**A/N: Yes, I decided to make Haku a female for this story. It seemed to be a pretty popular suggestion that I make Haku a female, so there ya go. I do hope this chapter is to your liking everyone. Things are definitely slightly different, and the next chapter should be the conclusion to this rather brief Wave arc. Sorry to those of you who wanted it to last a bit longer and to those of you who believe this story is moving a tad too fast. I'm doing the best I can to make this story as enjoyable as possible for everyone.**

**Anywho, again, feel free to submit more suggestions for missions and girls to add to the harems all right? I have a few particular events planned out for the Chunin Exams arc that's coming up in a couple of chapters. I hope you enjoy what I have planned for that as well. As for those of you wondering how this particular Wave arc will end, all I can say to you is this: Wait and see.**

**I'm actually enjoying writing this fanfiction quite a lot. I would also like to mention that my OC isn't overpowered, I promise you that. At times it may seem so, but there are plenty of canon characters that could easily crush him. I'll delve more into that in upcoming chapters, I assure you. For now, I just hope you can be patient with me and enjoy the chapters I supply you with. They seem to be increasing in length as well I've noticed. Hopefully you all continue to enjoy my story.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – Secrets Revealed**

_**With Naruto & Kiba, moments ago**_

"Man Naruto, what the hell's with all that mist? It's so thick!" Kiba complained as they neared the bridge. While it was indeed hard to see through the mist, it was thicker near the opposite end of the bridge than it was on the end they had approached from.

Stepping foot on the bridge, the group of three quickly dashed towards the sounds of battle. When Naruto suddenly thrust his arm out, Kiba barely managed to stop himself in time before he plowed into it and floored himself. Glancing in Naruto's direction, he quirked an eyebrow and decided to ask a question. "What is it Naruto? You see something I don't?" Looking further into the mist, doing his best to focus on the area in front of them, the Inuzuka heir found his eyes widening. "Damn, what the hell's with all the ice? You think Zabuza's behind this?"

Naruto calmly shook his head left and right. "Kiba, what do you smell? I think Zabuza's partner is directly ahead of us if this ice is anything to go by. Think about it Kiba. Remember what we heard described to us by Kakashi-sensei? Zabuza primarily used water release jutsu during his battle with Kakashi. He also said that there was something off about the hunter-nin, and at the time I thought he was simply talking about the hunter-nin being in league with the missing nin Zabuza. But…"

Kiba watched curiously as Naruto knelt down and picked up what appeared to be a senbon, only it was encased in _ice_. Taking this moment to sniff the area with Akamaru, Kiba frowned. "Sasuke and Shino are battling somebody in that weird ice dome ahead of us. Beyond them, Kakashi-sensei and Sean-sensei are battling who I would _assume_ to be Zabuza. Between both groups, Kurenai-sensei, Hinata, and Sakura are looking over Tazuna-san. But the worst thing is the scent of blood. I smell it all around us. I think Zabuza and his partner killed almost all of Tazuna-san's workers. I can't be sure until this mist clears though. There's no doubt that Zabuza created this damnable mist. Kakashi told us about his Kirigakure no Jutsu before, so my bet is that until Kakashi-sensei and Sean-sensei take him out, this mist isn't going to go anywhere. Am I right Naruto?"

Naruto nodded his head and was about to speak, but before he could the team of three heard Shino scream out in pain. Glancing through the mist, Naruto saw a sight that disturbed him greatly. Lying on the ground in the middle of the dome of ice was Shino. He looked like a pincushion at the moment and he wasn't moving. Quickly reaching into his shuriken pouch, Naruto withdrew a single shuriken and searched for their opponent. Seeing the fake hunter-nin approaching Sasuke, the blonde ninja threw the shuriken hard at the enemy's head, only to see his opponent dodge into one of the ice mirrors at the last second. "Dammit!"

_**Present Time – Sasuke & Haku**_

_It's him again. Naruto-san, I don't want to fight you. If you challenge me though, I'll end you for Zabuza's sake._ Haku thought silently to herself as she glanced back at Sasuke and Shino. As she stared at the boy with the Sharingan eyes, she found herself frowning. "Sasuke, right?"

Sasuke glared back at Haku and 'hmph'ed before nodding his head. "What do you care what my name is girl? Soon enough you'll be dead no thanks to anybody else. You should be glad to have received the opportunity to battle an elite such as myself. Now stop with the cowardly tricks and get down here so we can fight!"

Haku let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head. "You're pathetic Sasuke. I may only have Zabuza and I may only be his tool, but he and I can truly respect those such as your downed teammate there. He fell _protecting_ you. Shino-san there understands the meaning of teamwork and the value of his teammates. Using his insects, he was able to discover my plan of attack and threw himself in the way to keep you safe from what would have been a crippling attack. You have been so focused on defeating me that you let your anger cloud your judgment when the difference in skill between us became more and more evident. You only tried to work with your teammate ONCE and that was in an attempt to escape my Hijutsu: Makyō Hyōshō (Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals). While I commend you on your attempt, the two of you could have, and more importantly _should_ have worked together to try and find a weakness to my technique. By working together from the start, you could have done so much more. Now your teammate lies dead near your feet and you don't show any sign of caring for his sacrifice. Instead…"

Sighing heavily, Haku shut her mouth and shook her head. "No, I will waste no more words on you _Uchiha_. It is obvious that everything I just said went unheard. This is the end for you and for the Uchiha. Farewell Sasuke!" Forming an incredibly sharp kunai out of ice, Haku watched and waited patiently until she saw her moment. When Sasuke turned and the young woman saw she was now in his blind spot, she dived from the mirror she had been hiding in and aimed the kunai at the back of the last Uchiha's neck. However, what happened next was something she had not expected.

Standing before her with eyes narrowed and a kunai of his own pressed against her kunai of ice was Naruto. Flipping backwards, she stared at him, horrified that he would be so brash as to enter her technique willingly. "Why do you so willingly defend such a heartless fool? Look at what his behavior has cost you! An ally of yours lies dead on the ground because his teammate refused to cooperate with him or any of his plans. This entire time this Uchiha brat has spouted "Elite this" and "Elite that". Young man, step aside and let me do the ninja world a favor!"

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Believe me Miss, I'm not a fan of Sasuke-teme here. I'm mad as hell and I want nothing more than to kick his arrogant ass. But…I'm not stupid. I knew coming in here would be a huge risk as I know next to nothing about your technique or your abilities, but I also couldn't just let you kill the teme. Despite his attitude and all the crap he feeds everybody about being one of the 'elite Uchiha', he's important to the village. But beyond that, he's a fellow ninja of the Leaf and as long as I live, I refuse to abandon a fellow ninja from the Leaf to die. Miss Hunter-nin, there's something else you should know."

As Naruto tried to continue on, Sasuke shoved him to the ground and snarled in his direction. "Shut the hell up Dobe! I didn't need your help and we sure as hell don't need your ridiculous speech!" When Sasuke went to kick the blonde-haired ninja in the side, he was suddenly slammed violently into another of the ice mirrors behind him. Standing there with her ice kunai pressed tight against his neck, Haku was radiating killing intent. "Get the hell off me! That Dobe isn't needed back in the village! He's pathetic! A screw-up! All that idiot ever does is cause problems and piss people off. A Dobe like him doesn't belong among the ranks of Leaf shinobi! Once a loser, _always_ a loser! All the Dobe's going to do is get in the way of OUR battle."

When it appeared Haku was about to cleave the arrogant Uchiha prick's head from his body, Naruto grabbed hold of her offending hand and smiled as he shook his head and pried her off of Sasuke. "Don't. You're not a killer, and even if you were, the teme isn't worth it, I assure you. The only people that even like him back in our village are Teme's fangirls and the civilians. Some of the council too I think, but who really cares?" Slowly guiding the female away from Sasuke, Naruto sat her down beside Shino's form and smiled softly at her.

"Now Miss Hunter-nin, tune the teme out and let's talk. You see, Kakashi-sensei told my team something about you and Zabuza after we arrived. You used senbon to put Zabuza into a deathlike state and then carried him off. Looking my friend here over carefully, I don't think you had any intention of killing either of these two, did you? Shino's hurt, sure, but I don't think he's dead. It's not hard to see that you have a gentle soul Hunter-san. Why would somebody like you even _attempt_ to kill a couple of children? That's like me telling somebody that the teme and I were suddenly the best of friends! It wouldn't make any sense, nor would it actually happen. EVER! Your precious 'master' on the other hand, he I'm not so sure about. He seems like a real jerk, no offense to you. So why not sit down and tell me about this relationship of yours with Zabuza and why you're so loyal to him all right? Depending on what you say, I might be able to help you out. We could come up with something great for you!"

When Haku lowered her gaze to the downed boy in front of her, she let out an audible sigh and nodded her head. However, as soon as she went to speak, blood shot from her mouth and leaked under her mask, visible for the blonde ninja to see. Glancing behind her, the two could see Sasuke with a maniacal grin on his face as he yanked his kunai from her back and went to attack again. As Haku fell over Shino's limp form, Naruto suddenly began radiating enormous killing intent as red chakra began swirling around his form. "**Teme! What the hell is wrong with you?!**" With that, Naruto slammed an anger-fueled fist into Sasuke's face and sent him crashing through one of the ice mirrors all the way to the edge of the bridge. "**She wasn't even fighting anymore! I should fucking kill you!**"

_**With Sean & Kakashi – 7 Minutes ago to Present Time**_

Zabuza smirked as he shoved Sean away from him and disappeared into the mist again. "One of Konoha's few Kenjutsu users, eh? But something tells me that's not all there is to learn about you boy. Fine then, it's time to play!" Moving silently through the mist, the former Swordsman of the Mist smirked and dashed forth, quickly swinging his Kubikiribōchō down at Sean's head. Therefore, when Sean disappeared from view, Zabuza's eyes went wide. "Where the hell…?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk Zabuza. It's amazing how you could fall for my **Kaze Bunshin no Jutsu (Wind Clone Technique)**. Now, can you find the _real_ me?" With a smirk, Sean created a dozen more Kaze Bunshins and spread them out throughout the mist. While allowing Zabuza to cleave through the majority of his clones, Sean made his way to Kakashi's location.

Upon reaching him, Sean nodded and patted his fellow Jonin sensei on the shoulder. "Almost time for your plan. Sure you don't want me to take the hit?" Kakashi simply gave Sean and eye smile and shook his head. "It will be better if I take the blow Sean. You know the plan." Chuckling, Sean shook his head and sighed. "Yeah, yeah."

Sean disappeared back in the mist, moving a short distance from Kakashi and standing there with his katana at the ready. It didn't take more than a few minutes for Zabuza to emerge and attack him again. Feigning surprise, Sean smirked inwardly when Kakashi tackled him out of the way and received a glancing cut along his left arm. "Hey, hey! Did you forget about me during your little bout with my friend here? I'm hurt Zabuza! Truly!"

Standing up, Kakashi brushed himself off and glanced at his arm. "You know, that actually kind of stings. Still, if you want to get past us and kill Tazuna-san, you'll have to do a lot more than simply _scratch_ me Zabuza."

As Kakashi spoke, Zabuza merely smirked to himself and began to laugh. "Sorry _Kakashi_, but without the use of your Sharingan, you're useless here! I'll have more fun playing with your dear _friend_ than I would have with you!" Laughing louder, Zabuza failed to notice the Sharingan-user going through a series of handsigns. It wasn't until he heard the silver-haired man shout out: "**Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu (Summoning: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique)**!" and spotted the scroll in his hand that he realized something was off.

As the Demon of the Mist shot forward and tried to cleave Kakashi's head from his shoulders, he failed to take into account the beasts coming up on him from below. Right before he could reach the Copy Ninja, Kakashi's nindogs moved on him and held him where he stood, the Kubikiribōchō fell from his grip and the mighty Demon began to scream out in agony and frustration. "Damn you Kakashi! What does it take to beat you?!"

When Kakashi began to go through another set of seals for his next jutsu, a horrendous wave of killing intent washed over the three Jonin-level ninja and halted them in their movements. Turning, they saw the ice mirrors were gone, the mist was clearing, and what appeared to be a demonic Naruto was moving towards the last Uchiha, who was clearly Naruto's current target. Turning to Sean, Kakashi nodded before turning to Zabuza. "It looks like I'll have to end this fast. Farewell Zabuza. Sean, go and stop your student."

_**With Hinata, Sakura, Kurenai, & Tazuna**_

Things quickly went to hell after Zabuza and the mysterious hunter-nin attacked. This entire time, the three kunoichi stood surrounding Tazuna just in case either of the two tried to attack the gruff bridge builder. In the beginning, it seemed like Sasuke and Shino were far above the hunter-nin in skill and speed, but it soon became apparent that the young woman was simply testing their abilities before she unleashed her true skills. Shortly afterwards, the battle between Sean-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, & Zabuza began and the mist thickened even more. One of Tazuna's comments now rang out throughout Hinata's mind as she thought about all of this: 'This is absolutely insane!'

With her doujutsu, the Byakugan, the young Hyuuga heiress was able to watch everything that had transpired thus far. When Shino went down, she let out an audible gasp that caused the three with her to look at her curiously. The young lass quickly explained what had transpired and even relayed the words spoken by the mysterious hunter-nin. The situation took an odd turn when Naruto entered the mix and began _talking_ with their enemy!

Now, as the mist was clearing, she stared in horror of what her crush had become. Quickly glancing towards the other battle, Hinata frowned as she realized that Kakashi and Sean were still busy battling Zabuza and wouldn't be able to stop Naruto in time. Glancing up at Kurenai, Hinata thought about asking her what was wrong with her blonde-haired cutie, but quickly shook that thought aside. Instead, young Hinata rushed towards Naruto and Sasuke and stepped between them.

Looking Naruto dead in the eyes, she shook her head and smiled softly at him. "N-Naruto-kun. Please calm down. I know my teammate's a horrible person and what he did is unforgiveable, but t-this isn't you Naruto-k-kun. Sasuke just isn't worth it! Besides…" Taking one step towards Naruto, Hinata could feel tears stinging her eyes. "I don't want anything to happen to you Naruto-kun. You know how the people view you and Sasuke. If they find out you k-killed him, there's no telling what would h-happen to you. I couldn't bear to see anything bad happen to you!"

Seeing the look in Naruto's eyes and noticing the red chakra shroud dissipating, Hinata's tears were let free from their bonds and she hurried her pace. Upon reaching the blonde ninja, she threw her arms around him and held him tight. In a matter of seconds, Naruto felt in control of himself again and simply stared into her eyes. "H-Hinata? Don't cry. Umm…thanks for helping me out there." Reaching up, Naruto rubbed the back of his head lightly with one hand while he held Hinata close with the other. "Everything will be okay now Hinata-chan. I promise. Take Sasuke-teme back to Tazuna's side and continue guarding the bridge builder for a while. That's your mission. I'm gonna check on girl and Shino. Hopefully they're both okay."

Seeing Hinata nod her head and rush away with the now unconscious Sasuke in her arms, the blonde knucklehead chuckled softly before turning and making his way back to the others. Upon reaching them, Naruto saw Kiba tending to their injuries and smiled warmly at the scene. "Thanks Kiba for looking over them like this. I suppose I'll have to do some explaining after this is all over…won't I?" When Kiba simply nodded and went to finish patching up the hunter-nin, Naruto groaned awkwardly before sitting down and patting the girl on the shoulder. "Good to see you're okay. Mind telling me your story now?"

_**With Hinata's Group**_

"Hinata-chan, that was very reckless of you! He could have killed you and Sasuke both, and then what would I tell your father?! You're very lucky that Naruto calmed down when he did!" Kurenai-sensei lectured while Sakura tended to 'her Sasuke-kun's' injuries.

"Kurenai-sensei, you shouldn't lecture me! Naruto-kun's your student; you should have more faith in him. Now, please tell me what happened to him. What was that red chakra?" Looking defiantly up at her love's sensei, Hinata fully expected to be denied an explanation or be told that even Kurenai didn't know. So Kurenai's response would naturally catch her off guard.

"Hinata-chan, I do have faith in Naruto. That doesn't make it any less dangerous. And in answer to your question…I do know what it is, but I'm afraid I'm not allowed to say. If you really must know, you can and _should_ ask Naruto. I'm sure that he knows the truth by now." Frowning, Kurenai patted Hinata softly on her head and smiled knowingly at her young friend. "I know how much you care for him Hinata-chan. It's hard **not** to see. That's why I feel he should be the one to tell you about his 'situation' all right? Otherwise, I promise you that if it wasn't forbidden, I would tell you."

Hinata merely nodded with a dumbstruck expression on her face. Despite what Kurenai had said, she had revealed more than she may have intended. _Forbidden to speak of it? By who? That red chakra was evil, it didn't feel right. If it's forbidden to speak of it, then it has to be somebody that can order at least all Jonin and below from speaking of it. Would Sandaime-sama keep something about Naruto-kun secret? If so, why would he? What is there to hide? Come on Hinata, think. What do you know about Naruto-kun to date that could help you to understand this?_

_ Okay, nobody, not even Naruto-kun, knows who Naruto's parents are. As much as you care about him, you still don't know his birthday, but you know he's twelve years-old. He lives on his own and the villagers hate him. Naruto received unfair treatment in the academy. Naruto's brave, kind, cute, he has those really cute whiskers on his face, he has blue eyes and spiky blonde hair. Actually, he looks sort of like a mini-…_ Hinata's eyes went wide and she quickly turned to look at Naruto. _It can't be! Could it?!_

_**With Kakashi, Sean, & Zabuza**_

"Sean-san, why did you stop me? You know what will happen if we allow Zabuza to live!" Kakashi narrowed his eyes at his comrade. To this day, he still couldn't understand some of the things that the so-called 'Wind God' did, but stopping him from finishing off an enemy was borderline treason!

"Think about it Kakashi-san. Killing Zabuza doesn't save these people. However, if we capture him and extract information from him on Gato's whereabouts, we truly _can_ put a stop to Gato's evil in this country! So stop glaring at me and help me tie this guy up instead, would you?!" Grumbling to himself about incompetent Copy Ninjas, Sean turned and slammed his fist into Zabuza's face. This blow sent the Demon of the Mist skidding on his back along the bridge a few feet. "That, Zabuza, is for all the crap you've pulled! Once we've dealt with Gato and his men, you're coming with us so we can see what Hokage-sama wants to do with you. A monster like you _does_ deserve death, and while the two of us would love nothing more than to kill you, I'm damn sure Ibiki-san can extract some very useful information from your ass before you're either imprisoned or killed."

As Sean smirked and stepped closer to the downed Demon of the Mist, chakra wire in hand, he found himself imagining all the wicked things good ol' Ibiki Morino could do to Zabuza to make him talk. However, Sean suddenly stopped short and Zabuza found himself wondering what could have made him do so. When the Demon of the Mist glanced in the direction Sean was facing, he found a smirking, short, fat man staring down at him, continuously tapping his cane on the bridge.

"Well, well, well Zabuza, it looks like hiring you was a real waste. It's a good thing I never planned to pay you or your companion. Speaking of which, where is that little bitch? I owe her one for busting my damn arm!" Seeing the look in Zabuza's face as he rose to his feet, Gato's smirk only widened. "Ah ah ah Zabuza, you should wipe that nasty scowl off your face. In the condition you're in, there's obviously not much you could possibly do to threaten me anymore. As for your precious little friend, my men'll get her reaaaal good soon enough. If she's here on this bridge with you, she'll be dead very soon. After all, while you ninja folk were busy fighting, I've been positioning my men all over this stupid bridge. Once all of you are gone, the bridge builder is easy pickings. After all, he'll gladly give himself over once my grunts get here with his daughter and grandson. Speaking of which, I have no idea what's taking them so damn long. How long does it take to capture a little kid and some weak housewife?"

As Gato rambled, Zabuza had crept back to Kakashi and Sean and sighed angrily. "Obviously there's no point in us fighting anymore. You, boy with the mastery of wind. You got any kunai for me?" As Sean grumbled, the ex-Kiri shinobi undid the bandages around his mouth and grinned at him. "I want to kill that little punk. So gimme one of those dang kunai and I'll show you and that little punk there why I'm called the Demon of the Mist." When the Wind God sighed again, Zabuza was about to say more when he suddenly found the handle of a kunai wedged between his teeth. Looking at Sean for a moment, he felt a sudden chill go through his body.

"Go let loose already Zabuza-teme. But keep this in mind: I DON'T want that particular kunai back. Not after your teeth and your tongue have been all over it. So when you're done, spit it in the water below or something. Better yet, let Kakashi-san burn it! Finally, after this is over, you're coming back with us _willingly_ so that our T & I expert Ibiki Morino can…" At this, Sean smirked wickedly as he put a finger to his chin. "Well, I suppose a good term would be 'play'. Yes, Ibiki's going to enjoy 'playing' with you Zabuza-teme. Of course, you could always just agree to give over all information we want willingly once you visit good ol' Ibiki, buuut…" Grinning maliciously, Sean took a step closer and stared Zabuza dead in the eyes. "Where would the fun in that be now, hmmmmm Zabuza?" At the look in Zabuza's eyes, Sean turned around and laughed wickedly as he stepped away to go and deal with some of Gato's thugs.

Zabuza turned to Kakashi and frowned, the kunai still clenched firmly in his mouth. "Is that guy ALWAYS like that?! Just what kind of people do you work with back in Konoha Kakashi?!" When the Copycat Ninja just chuckled and ran a hand through his hair, the ex-Kiri ninja merely grumbled and turned. With a shrug of his shoulders, Zabuza dashed forward to begin his assault on Gato and the group of thugs surrounding him. Kakashi, seeing no point in letting a wounded man go off on his own to handle such a thing, quickly followed him with a kunai of his own clutched tightly in his dominant hand.

_**With Naruto, Haku, Shino & Kiba**_

"So that's your story. Well then Haku-chan…" Smirking a bit as he stared into the girl's now unmasked face, the blonde-haired young man gently gripped her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I have to admit that your 'reason for existing' is a load of crap. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to insult you or anything like that, but you don't exactly exude this aura of confidence in yourself. You keep calling yourself Zabuza's 'tool'. In a sense I would have to agree with you as all ninja are considered 'tools of their village' and such. However, we shinobi have feelings. We know right from wrong. You choose to follow a man who knows these differences and CHOOSES to do wrong over right from what I've heard. Sure, this Zabuza guy saved your life, he took care of you, raised you to be a damn fine ninja, and he's done other great stuff as well, I'm sure. Sadly, it's just not enough. You have let him brainwash you Haku-chan and I just can't stand that!"

Sighing angrily, Naruto punched a fist into his other hand and stared hard into Haku's eyes. "You're a good person Haku-chan. Unlike Zabuza-teme, you don't enjoy killing. He's tried to train you into a weapon he can use. And like a weapon, as soon as you became worthless to him, I'm sure he would've just tossed you aside like you were garbage. Think about it for a moment before you try to argue my point Haku-chan, okay? Before I became a Genin, I only had one set of kunai and one set of shuriken. I practiced with them so often, virtually every single day, until I finally managed to take that first big step on my goal to becoming Hokage someday. After that day, while I didn't trash my sets, I put them aside and haven't used them against since. While it may not be exactly the same, I hope it proves my point. If it helps any, think of it this way: Zabuza's helped set you on the right path, but now you need to break off and find yourself. Your _true_ self. Zabuza has given you the foundations to build off of, and now it's time for you to take your first steps out into the real world and find your _true_ purpose. Does that make sense?"

Haku took all of Naruto's words into consideration and lowered her head so she could take the time to think things through. The blonde boy before her made such excellent points, that was true, but there was something else. There was something about the way Naruto spoke to her, the fire evident in his speech, the conviction with which he spoke, it all spoke volumes to her about what kind of man Naruto would become, what kind of person he already is. In fact, he was the first person since her mother to truly show such passion towards her in such a good way.

While Haku was lost in thought, trying to decide on what she'd do, Kiba and Naruto had taken up defensive positions around Haku and Shino. "Naruto, I couldn't be sure with the stench in the air before, but I'm positive now. While everyone's been busy fighting here on the bridge, they've been busy surrounding us. Any good ideas?" Glancing quickly over his shoulder, Kiba saw Naruto nod and found himself smirking as he did. "Good. I thought you might have something clever planned for just such an occasion. Lemme guess, it goes along the lines of: "Let's cut loose and have some fun."?" Kiba asked with a smirk.

Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "Ahh Kiba-buddy, you know me so well. I'll guard Haku-chan and Shino. You and Akamaru go ahead and kick some ass. Enjoy yourselves!" With that, the blonde ninja made a cross-shaped handsign and shouted out: "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" and five clones immediately took up position with him around Haku and Shino. "You know what will happen if you let even one get by you Kiba." When Kiba shuddered, Naruto began to laugh.

"Dear Kami Naruto, don't go and remind me. Sean-sensei's absolutely insane, I swear!" Kiba heard Akamaru whimper something to him and looked down at his companion. "W-What did you just say Akamaru? You can't be serious?" When Akamaru whined again, Kiba looked around and groaned. "Somebody already took care of them. All of them? When?" It was then that Kiba got a whiff of another scent, one coming from very close by. Eyes widening, Kiba turned only to receive a full blast of killing intent radiating off of the Wind God himself. "Oh crap! I'm sorry Sean-sensei! I didn't mean it! Honest! You know we love you! Right sensei?"

With a heavy sigh, Sean rubbed the back of his neck and helped Kiba up. "Jeez Kiba. Is it really necessary to talk bad about me when you think I'm not listening? I know I can be a bit of a slave driver, but c'mon Kiba! Look at all the good it's done the three of you so far! Well…you didn't exactly get to do a whole lot on this mission, sure, but on the B-ranked mission we did BEFORE coming here, you two did great! Two Genin and a nindog took down two Chunin like it was nothing. I bet that without Kurenai-san and I teaching you the way we have been, you two wouldn't have been anywhere near ready to pull off something like that. Sure you could've won if you put your minds to it, but not without receiving some serious damage in the process. Now enough complaining about my teaching style. Grab Shino, tell Naruto to get his friend, and let's meet up with Tazuna-san over there. Kakashi-san and Zabuza are about done dealing with Gato and friends, so the mission'll be over soon."

Kiba nodded slowly, but as soon as he went to retrieve Shino, he stopped again and stared past his sensei. "Umm, sensei? I'm not complaining or anything, but what the hell are all the townspeople doing here? More importantly, why the heck are they all armed?"

_**Tsunami & Inari's Group**_

"Aww, c'mon! You have got to be kidding me! You all were too damn slow! We got here right as they were finishing off Gato and his cronies!" Inari complained while Tsunami simply giggled. "It's not funny Mom! Naruto-nii-san was counting on us!"

"Sweetie, I'm sure Naruto-kun will be proud of you for rallying everybody together regardless. You and Naruto-kun did a great job. Now come, let's go and congratulate them and thank them for a job well done." Gently patting her son on his head, Tsunami led him and the others across the bridge towards her father.

_**With Zabuza & Kakashi**_

"Zabuza, I think you might have overdone it a bit. Gato's completely unrecognizable by now. Wasn't the point to prove Gato was gone to give people peace? If they don't believe you, these poor people might still end up living in fear." Kakashi said calmly as he stood over the bodies of two of Gato's bodyguards. When he heard something drop in the water, the silver-haired Jonin looked over his shoulder to see Zabuza leaning over the railing of the bridge. Walking closer to him, Kakashi soon realized what had happened and grinned. "I see you took his advice."

"Shut it Kakashi. That friend of yours is fucking creepy. He's worse than Haku when she gets angry or upset with me and that's BAD. And if he wants to send me to this Ibiki guy, I can only imagine what kind of creep he is." With a sigh and a shake of his head, Zabuza walked back to Kakashi's side and nodded his head towards the other side of the bridge. "As for the villagers, take a look over there. Seems like they were ready to fight for their merry little town. Everything will be just fine for them, I'm sure of that. Now c'mon, I need some rest. Afterwards I want you to tell me what the hell that murderous intent was I felt earlier. It sure as hell wasn't Haku or myself, so that only leaves one of you Konoha shinobi. If I'm going to be returning with you folk to Konoha, I think I deserve to know what kind of freaks I'm dealing with."

_**Later that Night – Tazuna's House**_

"All right Naruto, you've got some explaining to do. What the hell was that on the bridge today?" Kiba demanded more than asked of his best friend. Looking around the room, he saw his fellow Genin, Zabuza, Haku, and Tazuna nod. The Jonin sensei had grim expressions on their faces and Naruto looked to be in a state of depression. Meanwhile, Tsunami and Inari honestly had no idea what they were talking about as they hadn't arrived in time to see what had happened with Naruto.

Looking to Sean, Naruto saw him flashing him a variety of handsigns. The blonde knucklehead recognized them immediately and began flashing his response. To the others in the room, it was impossible to figure out what the two were saying to each other as the two friends had developed their own unique sign language shortly after they had met for the purposes of privacy in situations such as these.

As soon as their private, _silent_ conversation had finished, Naruto heaved a sigh and turned to face everybody in the room. The blonde's head was lowered and he closed his eyes before he began to speak in a solemn tone. "All right everybody. The Jonin sensei in the room know the truth about everything already, it's hard for people of their generation _not_ to. However, for those of you who don't know the full truth…I've only been permitted to tell _part_ of the truth. Just like the older citizens of our village, there are numerous things about me that are forbidden to speak of. What I'm about to reveal to you is just one secret about me that I can't really hide from you anymore."

"What's so important that you can't even tell your best friends Naruto? It kind of pisses me off that you'd keep secrets from me y'know?" Kiba said to Naruto, his tone one of anger. He was soon hushed by Hinata. "Kiba-san, please don't be angry with Naruto-kun. Before we make any judgments, we should hear what he has to say, don't you think?" With a kind smile on her face, Hinata effectively shut the others in the room up to allow Naruto to speak his mind.

With a heavy sigh, Naruto nodded his head and looked calmly at Hinata. "Thanks Hinata-chan." Looking at everybody again, Naruto put on a fake smile and began his tale. "As I'm sure you've all heard, the Yondaime Hokage defeated the Kyuubi twelve years ago. It's said that he sacrificed himself to kill the demon. Well…that's a lie." At the looks on everyone's faces (besides the obvious knowing looks of the Jonin sensei of course) and the audible gasps from some, Naruto chuckled softly and nodded his head. "Before I explain, I need to ask a question. What do you know about the Jinchūriki?"

After looking around the room, Naruto saw Sakura raise her hand and motioned for her to speak. "It's not information most people our age would know about, but I have read something about them before. Jinchūriki are containers of demons, or more specifically the Bijuu, aren't they?" At seeing Naruto nod in return, Sakura frowned and put a finger to her chin as she thought more on it. "Why do you ask Naruto? Don't tell me this has something to do with what you did at the bridge?"

Sighing again, Naruto nodded. "The Yondaime Hokage didn't 'kill' the Kyuubi. As it stands, it's impossible to kill a Bijuu. Instead, the nine Bijuu are each sealed within containers. However, as it's been explained to me, in order to truly seal a Bijuu, you can't just seal them into an object as they will simply break free after a time. Instead…the Bijuu are each sealed within a person. I don't know for certain whom the other Jinchūriki are, but I can say this: the Yondaime Hokage was forced to seal the Kyuubi into a newborn child. Our Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze, sealed the Kyuubi into _me_. And before you say anything about how impossible that is or whatever else you may be thinking, I want you to think about something. Haven't any of you seen how the villagers and even some of our shinobi treat me back in the village? You all thought it was because of those stupid pranks I pulled right? Well it's been this way my _entire life_. I'm sure some of you have heard me called 'demon brat' before? Well now you know why. That's actually some of the kindest things the villagers have done when in regards to me. I'm blamed for the death of the Yondaime. A lot of villagers refuse to believe I'm just a kid. In fact, they just want somebody to blame so they target me. Beatings were numerous when I was younger. Oftentimes, people even tried to kill me believing I'm the demon in the guise of a kid, or that the demon has been in control this entire time. Well it's all bull crap!"

Grumbling angrily, Naruto clenched his fists and shut his eyelids tight. "Sean-sensei and a few others…they looked after me. They did what they could to keep me safe. Of course, there was only so much they could do. They had missions and they had other situations that called them away on occasion. Jiji, our Sandaime Hokage, has looked after me and taken care of me. He got me my apartment, he's helped me with the essentials such as food and utilities, even treating me to Ichiraku Ramen on occasion. For a good while now, he's made an effort to come visit me, to talk with me, and generally make my birthday at least somewhat pleasant when that day comes around. We may not be related by blood, but he, Sean-sensei, and the Ichirakus are the closest thing to family I've got in this world. Heh, October 10th. It's a time for celebration, and yet I've always dreaded that day. The day of my birth and the worst day of my life every single year." Lowering his head, Naruto waited to hear what he knew was coming.

Hinata went to speak first, but Sasuke beat her to it. "Hn. No wonder you've got no parents. They probably abandoned you the first chance they got. After all, who'd want something like you for a child." Snickering to himself, Sasuke didn't expect to be decked by one of the Jonin sensei of all people. Glaring up at the person, he began to snarl. "Ah, figures it'd be you again. A little demon lover, the same one that spoke down to me back in Konoha. I dare you to touch me again freak. You'll see what happens to you!"

Sean narrowed his eyes and lifted the little Uchiha up by his hair before slamming him into the nearby wall not once, but twice. Before speaking again, he slammed a wind-covered fist into Sasuke's stomach, shredding part of his insides. "I don't give a damn about you being the fucking pet in Konoha. Scum like you don't deserve to share the same air that kind-hearted boy over there does! You speak down to a hero when you know next to NOTHING about him! Before you go speaking badly about his parents, you might want to get your fucking facts straight little Uchiha." The 'Wind God' slammed Sasuke into the floor before dragging him outside, still clinging to his hair.

Sean continued to ignore Sasuke's screams of pain and anger as he beat the little snot-nosed punk into the ground outside. In fact, at the rate he was going, Naruto's sensei had a very good chance of killing the Uchiha. Therefore, it was good that both Kakashi and Zabuza grabbed him and restrained him from doing anything more. "_They'll_ hear about this! Count on it!" Sasuke spat blood and lay there glaring hatefully at Naruto's sensei.

Kakashi shook his head and took Sean back inside with Zabuza's help. However, before entering the house, he turned and narrowed his eye at Sasuke. "I'm disappointed in you Sasuke. It seems no matter what I try to teach you, you refuse to change your attitude. Did you know that the Yondaime wanted the people of Konoha to view Naruto as a hero? The 'Dobe' as you call him is the only thing keeping the Kyuubi at bay. It's people like you that disgust me. If you do go to the Council, I'll be glad to tell the Sandaime and the other shinobi about how you behaved on this mission. The crap you've pulled here in Wave won't be so easily forgiven and you'll be lucky to remain a Genin. So think twice before you try anything _Sasuke_." With that said, Kakashi went inside. What truly surprised Sasuke was the fact that not even Sakura came out to help him.

_**Inside Tazuna's House**_

Sean looked towards the damage he had done to Tazuna's house and sighed. Turning, he bowed to the family. "Tazuna-san, Tsunami-san, Inari-san, I apologize for the damage I have caused to your house. I will repair the damages to your house tomorrow while you are working on the bridge, I promise you." Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Sean stood straight again and stared deep into Tazuna's eyes. "Don't worry about it young man. That little punk had it coming and a little damage to the walls and flooring of my house is easily fixed. Now, sit and enjoy some tea. Tsunami, would you be so kind as to give our good guest some mint tea please?"

When Tsunami nodded and smiled sweetly at Sean, he smiled back and sat down next to Naruto. "Naruto-kun, are you all right? Don't let that punk's words get to you okay?" Leaning his head back on the couch, Sean stared at the ceiling for a good while as he thought about what he'd just done. "Tch. That teme really does know how to piss a person off, doesn't he? If the people of Konoha would stop feeding his fucking ego, I doubt he'd be this damn bad. Why the hell'd you pass him anyways Kakashi? That punk should've been sent back to the academy."

Kakashi sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Looking back on it, I'm starting to wonder that myself. Hinata and Shino understood the point of the bell test perfectly, but Sasuke absolutely refused to work with them. Claimed he could get both bells on his own and so on. Naturally, he was tied to the post and shouted numerous curses at me for it. After I 'left', Hinata and Shino both offered him some of their food, and at first he refused. However, I guess his hunger got the better of him and he accepted their food. At the time, I couldn't truly be sure I guess. In the end, I suppose I let the wants and expectations of the people allow me to pass him. Besides that, I didn't feel it was right to punish Hinata and Shino for Sasuke's actions. I had hoped that I could beat the teamwork lesson into Sasuke with time, but this mission has just driven the point home that he's truly not meant to be a ninja I suppose." With a heavy sigh, Kakashi sat down on Sean's other side and patted his shoulder. "Want to help me with something when we return to Konoha 'Rival'?"

_**Meanwhile, with the Genin & Company**_

"Naruto-kun, are you o-o-okay? You ha-haven't said a w-word since _he_ s-said that." Hinata was worried for Naruto. She, Sakura, and Haku were all sitting with him now while Kakashi and Sean walked off with Kurenai to discuss something that appeared to be rather important. After a time, when Naruto started to move again, Hinata at first breathed a sigh of relief that he was finally moving again, but when she saw the tears, she felt like her world was crumbling.

Quickly reaching her hands up to his face, she wiped his tears with her thumbs and leaned in close to him. Pushing her fears aside, Hinata pressed her lips to his head and held him close. "N-Naruto-kun. Please don't cry. W-We're here for you. Just t-talk to us. Please?" When Naruto wrapped his arms around her, Hinata's face turned beet red and she looked to the other girls sitting with them, nearly pleading with them to do something before she passed out from the contact.

Soon Naruto felt himself being hugged from behind by the other two with him: Sakura and Haku. Slowly releasing Hinata, he looked at the three of them and then at the others standing around them: Zabuza, Shino, Tazuna, Inari, and Tsunami. "S-Sorry everybody. Just…the talk about my parents…even if I shouldn't let it get to me, that teme doesn't know. My parents are dead, they didn't abandon me in the sense he meant. I never got to meet them. I never got to spend time with them like most children get to do with their parents. I'd say more, but Sean-sensei told me it isn't time yet. I'm…sorry."

Hinata suddenly felt her nervousness slipping away and she grasped his hand tightly. "Naruto, I think we all understand. It's okay. But…would it be okay if I talked with you soon? I thought about something when we were on the bridge earlier, and I wanted to confirm it with you. So…soon?" When Naruto simply looked at her, practically dumbstruck, she found herself giggling and quickly put her hands to her mouth. "S-Sorry Naruto-kun. You just looked so c-cute."

Naruto found himself blushing at that and began rubbing the back of his head nervously. Soon though, he nodded his head and rose from the couch, motioning for Hinata to follow him upstairs so they could talk in private. Hinata followed after him somewhat shyly, not sure if she could handle being alone with him like this, but she felt it was too important to let her insecurities get in the way. Following him into his room, she looked activated her Byakugan to ensure they hadn't been followed before sitting upon the bed with him and speaking. "Naruto…was your father the Yondaime?"

This caught Naruto off guard and he was about to protest and say it wasn't possible, but something about the look in her eyes pretty much screamed that he was in for a world of hurt if he dared try to lie to her. That and it seemed she had already figured it out somehow. With a heavy sigh and a small nod of his head, Naruto confirmed it. "Yes, my father was Minato Namikaze, our Yondaime Hokage. My mother…was a woman going by the name of Kushina Uzumaki. I don't know too much about her or her relationship with my father, but I do know one thing for sure: I'm not allowed to speak of my heritage to anyone. Thanks to Sean-sensei helping me speak with Jiji-sama, I was able to move into my parents' estate. They've helped me to learn some of the Uzumaki clan's techniques and they've helped start me off in the ways of Fuinjutsu along with some of my father's unique techniques. I'm trying to be careful about what I use and when, because I've been told not to showcase too many of my abilities before I become at _least_ a Chunin. But…with how crazy things have been, I'm not sure I'll be able to keep everything hidden until then."

Hinata nodded her head calmly and sighed for a moment. "I see. I think I can understand all of that, and even why you can't take your father's name. I don't know too much about the Uzumaki's, but I do know that your father had a lot of enemies that might have come after you had they known. As for the other stuff, I'm not sure why Sean-sensei and Hokage-sama would forbid you from using your techniques like that. What if you had to protect somebody? Shouldn't you be allowed to use some of your more powerful techniques if the situation called for it?"

Naruto chuckled softly and nodded his head. "You'd think so, wouldn't you? Hence why I said what I did. If the situation calls for it, I'm planning to say 'Screw the damn orders!' and I'll do the right thing. I'll be damned if I let a comrade die or get hurt because of some stupid orders not to use my abilities when I KNOW they could help." Nodding proudly at that, he turned and smiled at Hinata. "Thanks Hinata-chan. It actually feels really nice to be able to talk to somebody about all this. You're really sweet and super smart. Now if only we could build up that confidence of yours you'd be practically perfect!"

When Hinata suddenly went incredibly red, Naruto found himself chuckling even louder before he leaned in and hugged her close to him again. "You know, you're really cute when you blush Hinata-chan." And that did it! Hinata was out like a light! Snickering to himself, Naruto laid the Hyuuga heiress down to rest and walked to the door. Twisting the doorknob, he pulled the door open and smirked at the two girls as they tumbled into the room. "I know you were listening in. You didn't follow right away, so I'm curious to know what you heard."

_**2 Days Later – The Now Completed Bridge**_

All the villagers stood with Tazuna's family at the front, waving good-bye to the shinobi that helped save their country. While they stood there, wishing the ninja safe journeys, the shinobi were talking amongst themselves.

"Remember the deal Zabuza. As soon as we reach Konoha and you've met with Hokage-sama, I'm taking you to meet good Ibiki-san. I'm sure you two will get along _reaaaal_ well." Snickering to himself, Sean patted the swordsman on his shoulder and grinned. Zabuza simply grumbled in response and nodded his head. "Yeah, yeah, I know the deal. Blondie there said he'd try and talk to his 'Jiji' about some kind of deal that would help me out so long as I cooperate, so naturally I'm curious enough to see if he can really help me out. Is he really that damn close to your Hokage?" When Sean simply nodded his head, Zabuza chuckled and looked away towards the opposite end of the bridge as he, Kakashi, and Sean all began to walk together. "That kid's really something else."

Meanwhile, Shino was practically dragging Sasuke behind him. The Uchiha was still wounded and couldn't even walk on his own at this point, so Sean and Kakashi had decided on a 'fun little way to help him back to Konoha' as he had put it. Despite his normally cool, indifferent personality, Shino actually found himself developing a small grin as he dragged Sasuke along by some chakra-infused wire. After Sasuke's behavior on this mission and all the crap he said, Shino found this particular activity highly enjoyable and couldn't help but laugh inwardly at the pain he knew Sasuke must be in.

_**With Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, & Haku**_

"Inari, you know I'll miss you. Take care of yourself and your family for me okay? Be good and grow up strong. Hopefully I'll be able to come back and visit sometimes. I'm looking forward to seeing your growth." Smiling softly, Naruto patted his newest friend atop his head for a moment before he pulled him into a hug. "I'm glad we were able to help you and your friends out Inari." When Inari nodded and hugged him back, the blonde knew he was crying. Slowly, Naruto released him and stepped back to join his friends.

Within moments, Inari threw his fist up in the air and shouted at him as the knucklehead turned around and began to leave. "Achieve that dream of yours Naruto nii-san and show those villagers how great you are! If anyone can make those idiots change their minds about you, it's the guy who's gonna be their Hokage someday! You better take care of yourself Naruto nii-san! Make me proud okay?!" When Naruto gave him a thumbs up over his shoulder, Inari grinned and went about wiping his tears as he turned and threw his arms around his mother.

Chuckling to themselves, the girls quickly caught up to Naruto with Kurenai, Kiba, and Akamaru taking up the rear of the group. Sakura soon jabbed Naruto in the shoulder and smirked at him. "You know Naruto, that was actually pretty sweet of you. I thought for sure you were going to break down crying too." When Naruto simply chuckled in response and grinned her way, Sakura found herself smiling back at him. "Also, we'll keep our promise to you. Haku, Hinata, and I won't tell anyone about what you told us. As for Sasuke…it's hard to think of him the same way after everything he's done. I still care for him, but at the same time it's just not the same. I mean, how would he feel is you insulted his parents for something stupid like that? When Ino hears about what he did and said here, she'll be fuming, I'm sure of it! He's such a jerk!"

Naruto laughed lightly and glanced up ahead at the fuming Sasuke. "I'm actually kind of surprised you haven't gone to him already to help him out. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that you chose to stay and try to cheer me up the other night, and I'm grateful that you're being so kind to me now, but I'm just not used to it. It'll take some getting used to, y'know?" When Sakura simply shrugged and nodded in response, Naruto smiled and patted her shoulder before turning to Hinata. "And you Hinata-chan…"

When Hinata blushed a bit before turning his way, the blonde chuckled again and poked her cheek gently. "Want to get some dinner with me when we get back to Konoha? I want to learn more about you. I'm…interested." Smiling sweetly at her, Naruto waited patiently for her response while Sakura's jaw hung slightly and Haku found herself a tad shocked at his bold date request.

Hinata glanced at the others before looking back at Naruto and blushing worse than before. "Y-Y-Yes Naruto-kun. I'd l-love to go on a d-d-date with you! Erm…dinner. I'll have to find something to wear!" Soon the young Hyuuga heiress went into panic mode much to Naruto's amusement. She acted so cute sometimes that Naruto couldn't resist teasing her sometimes when she began acting like this. "Hinata-chan, you should calm down. I don't really have anything special to wear. I'll have to get Sean-sensei to help me find something to wear. You, on the other hand, look just great. I'm sure you'll look very pretty no matter what you choose to wear. Now relax and let's enjoy the walk home okay? I say the three of us should talk for a while, maybe get to know more about each other while we go. Not much else we can do, right?" Seeing them nod, the blonde grinned again as he decided to make a little game out of it. "Okay, as we go along, here's what we'll do…"

_**Meanwhile, back with Tazuna**_

"So Otousan, have you decided on a name for the bridge yet? You've heard all the suggestions and I'm sure I can guess what your decision will be." Asked Tsunami shortly before she began to giggle cutely. Soon her father chuckled softly and nodded in response. "You know me so well Musume. Yes, you are correct, and not just about the fact I've decided on a name, I'm sure. While others may argue with me, I'm sure you and Inari will approve." Turning to the villagers a moment, he shouted out to them to inform them he had decided on a name. Turning back to face the bridge, the old bridge builder grinned broadly. "The name of this grand bridge will be '**The Great Naruto Bridge**'!"

_**5 Days Later – Konoha Gates**_

Izumo Kamizuki and his partner Kotetsu Hagane were guarding the gates yet again. After some time, Kotetsu let out a loud yawn and looked to Izumo, a rather bored expression plastered on his face. "Okay, remind me what we did to deserve this kind of punishment? All we do is sit here and monitor traffic to and from the village. This crap's boring as watching a lily pad float around on the water. Maybe not my best analogy, but damn it I'm bored! Can't you at least do something amusing to help me pass the time?!"

Izumo sighed for what felt like the millionth time that hour. Turning to his friend, he was prepared to lecture him again, but soon found himself clenching his jaw shut and pointing behind him. "Looks like you actually have something interesting happening for once Kotetsu. Teams 7 & 8 are finally back, and they've brought guests too it would seem. Doesn't that tall guy look familiar?"

Kotetsu blinked a few times and turned to look at the two teams walking towards them. "Forget that. Take a look! Why the heck do they have that Uchiha brat tied up? He do something while they were away?" Glancing back at Izumo, Kotetsu found his best friend shaking his head in a signal that he hadn't a clue. Turning back around, he looked at the two teams and their guests as they walked up on by. "You're right Izumo…that swordsman DOES look familiar. I wonder who he is."

Kakashi, Sean, and Kurenai soon stopped and glanced back at the two Chunin for a moment. "You two look like you're doing well today. Keep up the good work." Kakashi said before turning to the Genin of Teams 7 & 8. "All right teams, let's go and report, then you can take the rest of the day off to do whatever. Everyone except for _you_ Sasuke. You're staying with Kurenai-san, Sean-san, and I while we talk to Hokage-sama about your actions. Your fate will be left up to Hokage-sama and the Council." Smirking underneath his mask at Sasuke's scowl, the silver-haired Jonin turned and began leading the way towards the Hokage Tower.

_**20 Minutes Later – Hokage's Office**_

After wrapping his knuckles on the door, Sean waited for the elderly Hokage to permit them entrance before he twisted the knob and allowed the others to enter before him. Stepping in after them, he shut the door and stepped over to join his team, taking his place beside Kurenai. Glancing towards Kakashi, he watched him nod before turning back to the Hokage and bowing his head. "Hokage-sama, I am sure you received Team 8's letter signaling the completion of our mission and our acceptance of joining Team 7 as backup for their C-rank turned A-rank mission shortly after. For Team 8's initial mission, we had a resounding success. Kurenai-san easily dealt with the enemy kunoichi while Naruto-kun and Kiba dealt with the Chunin brothers. Sakura and I easily dealt with the bandits under their command. As mentioned in my letter, I do believe the pay for that mission should be considered a B-rank due to the unexpected circumstances and lack of information. If our team hadn't undergone such strict training, things could have taken a terrible turn."

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Sean and his team for a moment before digging through his papers and looking over the information supplied to him. With a nod of his head, he placed them upon his desk and smiled at the members of Team 8. "Naruto-kun, Kiba, Sakura, I believe your sensei is correct. Due to the circumstances, I'll be declaring this a B-rank mission and you will each receive the bounties for your kills and the proper pay for a B-rank mission. If that is all for Team 8's mission, perhaps we can move on to Team 7's mission and why Sasuke-san happens to be tied up at the moment?"

Seeing Sean nod that he was done, the Hokage turned to Kakashi with a curious expression on his face. Getting the message, Kakashi began to explain the circumstances of their mission. "Hokage-sama, as you well know, Team 7 left this village over a week ago on our first C-rank mission together. Our goal was to escort a bridge builder by the name of Tazuna back to Wave Country and guard him while he and his workers finished building a bridge to open up trade between their country and the mainland."

When the Hokage simply nodded, Kakashi took that as his cue to continue. "As I explained in my letter that I sent back requesting Team 8's assistance, we were attacked by two rogue Chunin from Kirigakure, the Demon Brothers. As a test of my team's abilities, I allowed the Chunin and my Genin team to believe I had been incapacitated. Sasuke easily dealt with both opponents while Shino and Hinata stood guard over Tazuna-san. While it was not as I had hoped, they at least appeared to understand their duties according to the mission parameters.

After talking with Tazuna-san, Team 7 was informed of the true details behind the mission and what was truly taking place in Wave Country. Needless to say, the difficulty of our mission easily shot up to B-rank if not A-rank at that point. It turns out that Gato of Gato Industries was behind the troubles in Wave Country. As such, the people were suffering and it was an easy assessment to make that he most likely had hired even more powerful ninja to deal with the threat he saw in Tazuna. After crossing the waters surrounding their home, we began our trek to Tazuna-san's house. On the way, we were attacked by a Kirigakure missing-nin, the one you see standing behind us right now, Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Mist and one of Kirigakure's Swordsmen of the Mist."

Allowing Sarutobi to get a good look at their new 'companions', Kakashi soon continued. "After a hard fought battle, I emerged victorious, but Zabuza escaped thanks to his companion who was under the guise of a Kirigakure hunter-nin at the time. Using a couple of senbon, she put Zabuza into a deathlike state to fool us and escaped with him. It was only later, after reaching Tazuna's house, that we realized our mistake." Listening to Zabuza snicker at Kakashi's stupidity, the silver-haired Jonin groaned and facepalmed himself.

"I assume that you began a stricter training regimen to prepare your team for the upcoming battle Kakashi? I do hope Team 8 arrived on time?" Glancing to Team 8, Hiruzen saw them nod calmly before Kakashi began to speak up again to continue his story.

"Yes Hokage-sama, Team 8 arrived on time. However…" Groaning as he knew he was about to be reprimanded for his behavior, Kakashi continued on. "I…had my team working on the tree-climbing exercise. While Hinata and Shino mastered the exercise quite easily, Sasuke was proving to have more difficulty with this exercise. To make matters worse, he refused to acknowledge anyone's help and fed us this same line numerous times throughout the mission in some form or another: "The Uchiha don't need help from anyone. We are superior. Blah blah blah." Or some crap like that. Honestly, after so long hearing it, I just started to tune him out." With a shrug of his shoulders, Kakashi raised his hand to halt the Hokage before he could speak further.

"Hokage-sama, before you comment on my teaching ability, please finish hearing the details of our mission." Seeing the Sandaime nod, Kakashi gave an eye smile and then continued with his tale. "While Sasuke was working on tree-climbing, Sean, Kurenai, and I usually had one or two of our students keep an eye on Tazuna while we trained the others in other subjects. These subjects include: advanced chakra control exercises, helping them advance or even _find_ their own unique taijutsu styles, teaching them new jutsu, helping Shino and Hinata learn their elemental affinities and teaching them appropriate jutsu, teaching them how to implement their elemental affinities into their taijutsu styles, and more. Overall, our Genin have advanced tremendously while on these missions. Sasuke on the other hand…merely moved on to water walking and learning his elemental affinity. There wasn't much more that we could teach him as our time was running short before Zabuza showed up again."

Hearing Sasuke growl about being treated lower than the others and saying something along the lines of "An elite such as me…blah blah blah…blah…bowing down to me…blah blah…", Kakashi and the others merely sighed heavily and Sean took over the tale from there. "Hokage-sama, on the day that Zabuza attacked the bridge with his companion, Haku, I ordered Kiba-san and Naruto-kun to remain behind at Tazuna's house. Kakashi-san, Kurenai-san, and I all felt that Gato would most likely send some of his thugs to kidnap Tazuna's family in an attempt to gain leverage over the good bridge builder. Meanwhile, the rest of us journeyed to the bridge with Tazuna-san and found most of Tazuna's company laying dead, scattered across the bridge. Kakashi-san and I engaged Zabuza in combat while Sasuke and Shino battled Haku. The others took up positions guarding Tazuna-san."

Raising his hand, Hiruzen stopped Sean before he could continue and gazed towards Kiba and Naruto. "Naruto-kun, Kiba, could you please explain what happened back at Tazuna's residence? I assume that your Jonin sensei were correct in their judgment?" Seeing them nod, the Hokage took out his pipe and lit it. After taking a few puffs, he motioned for them to speak up.

Glancing to Naruto, Kiba saw him smile and decided to start. "Well Hokage-sama, two of Gato's thugs did show up at Tazuna's house. As I'm sure you already expected to hear, Naruto and I easily dispatched them and left for the bridge. Upon arriving, we found a heavy mist had rolled in on the area. Moving closer to the sounds of battle, Naruto correctly deduced that Zabuza's partner could use Hyōton (Ice Release) abilities. Haku has a powerful kekkei genkai (Bloodline Limit) Hokage-sama. Seeing it in action was really impressive, even if we only got to see a little. Senbon made of ice, that ice mirror technique she used to defeat Sasuke and Shino, it was all awesome to see!"

Shaking his head and chuckling softly, Naruto reached out a hand and patted his friend on the shoulder. "Aaaand you've started going off track Kiba. I'll continue from there." Looking to the Hokage, Naruto smiled and bowed his head. "As Kiba said, Haku-chan has a powerful kekkei genkai Jiji. Kiba and I were preparing to enter the battle and rescue Sasuke-teme and Shino when things took a turn for the worse. Due to the fog, it was a little hard to see so I'm not sure exactly what happened, but Shino went down. When we got a clear look, Shino honestly looked like a human pincushion for ice senbon."

Sighing as he looked at Sasuke, Naruto shook his head and then turned back to Sarutobi. "Do you want to hear the story of their fight from Sasuke-teme and Shino Jiji-sama? I can continue from where they leave off."

The Hokage seemed to consider Naruto's proposal for a minute before nodding and glancing towards Sasuke and Shino. "Seeing as how Sasuke's obviously in some kind of trouble, I would like to hear the story from your perspective Shino-kun. From the point you where you leave off, I would like Haku to continue. Would that be all right with you young woman?"

Haku nodded her head and smiled politely at Konoha's Sandaime Hokage. "Yes sir, that's fine with me. I'll gladly fill you in from where Shino-san leaves off. But…there's a point where Naruto-kun or another will have to take over. I'll let you know when." Bowing her head, Haku stepped up beside Shino and smiled his way. "Go on Shino-san."

Shino nodded and began to speak in his usual soft tone of voice. "Hokage-sama, the battle with Haku was not as we expected. While in the beginning it appeared that Sasuke was faster and I had managed to drain a good portion of Haku's chakra, she soon proved to be far too much for us to deal with on our own. Upon being trapped in her ice mirror technique, Haku's speed became far too much for the two of us to handle. As Naruto-san mentioned, the two of us were dealt multiple blows by ice senbon thrown by Haku. No matter what we tried, Sasuke and I were unable to make any progress. As time progressed, our teamwork diminished more and more until it was virtually nothing. Before I was rendered unconscious, I protected Sasuke from a flurry of ice senbon aimed to cripple him or worse. At the time, as there was very limited information on our opponent, I was unaware that she would not have killed him and thus I took the attack myself. And that ends my part of the tale. Haku, please continue."

After Shino bowed his head to her and stepped back, Haku smiled at him and then turned to face the Hokage again. "I have to admit, this feels odd reporting on a mission where I was the enemy of your forces, but since you have asked it of me, I will do my best to explain the circumstances of the mission to you. After Shino-san fell, I lectured Sasuke on his behavior. Throughout the course of the fight, the Uchiha refused to work with his teammate. Even after his teammate had fallen, Sasuke showed no sign of actually caring for his teammate and continued to boast about how great he is and how I should be honored to be fighting an Uchiha prodigy. As I said, I lectured him and attempted to kill him with a kunai made of pure ice."

Sighing at this, Haku lowered her head a moment before she returned her gaze to Hiruzen Sarutobi and continued. "Naruto-kun stopped me. He entered the mirrors of his own accord, knowing how dangerous it would be, and protected Sasuke. Naruto-kun spoke with me for a time and managed to calm me to the point the battle ceased. I listened to his words and realized there was so much truth to them that when he asked that I speak to him about my connection with Zabuza-sama I felt compelled to tell him the truth. However…" Looking to Naruto, she lowered her gaze and stepped back.

Naruto, noticing this, nodded his head and placed his hand on her shoulder. Leaning in close, he whispered something in her ear before stepping in front of her and bowing to Sarutobi again. Before he spoke up however, he shot a nasty glare at Sasuke. "Before Haku-chan could talk to me, the teme stabbed her. The battle had concluded, there was no more need for violence. Sometimes words, simply TALKING with people can help avoid conflict and unnecessary death. But the damn teme doesn't seem to understand that!"

When Naruto suddenly felt numerous hands upon his arms and shoulders, he found himself calming down and sighed heavily. "Jiji? After what Sasuke-teme did…I became so angry that I subconsciously called upon some of the Kyuubi's chakra." At the look in Hiruzen's eyes, Naruto winced and looked down quickly. "Don't worry, they know, and I didn't really do anything. I busted Sasuke's face pretty bad and I shattered part of the bridge by throwing him around, but he lived and everything turned out fine. Actually…" Looking to Hinata, Naruto motioned for her to continue as he needed to calm himself.

Hinata smiled and kissed his cheek before stepping forward and bowing to the Hokage. "Hokage-sama, forgive me for speaking out of turn, but at this part it's important for me to step in. When Naruto was advancing on Sasuke, I threw myself in between them. You see…"

"You care for Naruto-kun a lot and know he's not the kind to kill senselessly. The way he was acting wasn't like him at all and you didn't want him to do something he would forever regret. Am I right?" Smirking at Hinata's reaction to what he had just said, Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe and took another few puffs before motioning for her to continue with a bemused grin on his face.

"Y-Yes Hokage-sama. A-As I was saying, Naruto-kun calmed down after I talked to him. I held him until he was completely calm. And there's no need to worry, Naruto-kun didn't hurt me, I promise! I took Sasuke to Kurenai-sensei's side and allowed Sakura to give him medical attention. Of course, there wasn't much we could do at the time as none of us are medical ninja, so we applied the proper first aid and let him heal naturally with time. Kurenai-sensei already gave me the lecture about how dangerous and foolish a thing I did by jumping in between Naruto-kun and Sasuke, so you don't need to worry Hokage-sama. But, like I told the others, people need to have more faith in Naruto-kun. He's a really good person."

At this point, Kakashi spoke up again figuring it was time to discuss the battle with Zabuza and the events that transpired immediately after. "Before the others continue with the events that transpired with Haku, may Sean and I be permitted to reveal the events of our battle with Zabuza?" When the Hokage smiled his direction and nodded, the Copy Ninja nodded with an eye smile. "As stated before, upon arriving at the bridge, Sean and I engaged Zabuza in battle. Shortly after we began, Zabuza used the Kirigakure no Jutsu to create an incredibly thick mist that swamped the majority of the bridge. At which point, Zabuza focused his attacks on Sean, as we had expected and planned for." After saying this, Kakashi nodded for Sean to continue.

With a shrug of his shoulders, Sean shot a grin at Zabuza which made him shiver and snarl in anger before turning to the Sandaime. "Sandaime-sama, as Kakashi said, Zabuza chose to attack me. Initially I drew my katana and blocked his Kubikiribōchō. We dueled each other for a time while Kakashi-san prepared himself for what he would have to do. After a time, I used a moment when Zabuza pushed away from me and disappeared into the mist to pull off the first part of my part of the plan. I created a Kaze Bunshin and left it standing in the mist while I made my way closer to Kakashi-san's location. In fact, when Zabuza destroyed my clone, I created a dozen more to distract him while Kakashi-san and I prepared.

Minutes later, Zabuza caught up to me and attacked, only for Kakashi-san to take the attack and knock me out of the way. Thanks to our teamwork and quick timing, Kakashi merely received a small cut on his left arm. Zabuza, completely ignorant to our plan, began to mock and taunt us. During this time, Kakashi-san prepared his jutsu. Zabuza soon figured out that Kakashi-san was up to and I was about to intervene to protect him until he could finish his jutsu, but it wasn't necessary as Kakashi-san's ninken pinned the Demon of the Mist in place."

Kakashi resumed the tale at this point. "At this point, I began to go through the handseals for my Raikiri (Lightning Cutter) so that I could quickly finish the battle and help our students. However…" Glancing towards Naruto, Kakashi gave him an eye smile and brief nod. "Our resident knucklehead ninja unleashed some of the Kyuubi's chakra and distracted us for a time. I ordered Sean to go and restrain his student, but he gripped my arm and chose to restrain me instead."

At this, the Sandaime Hokage looked to Sean with a curious expression on his face. "Sean-kun, is there a reason why you not only refused to follow the order of the Jonin sensei in charge of the mission and the protection of your students, but you also chose to prevent Kakashi-san from finishing off an opponent that could very well have caused more problems for your two teams?" Despite the way his voice sounded, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that Sean didn't act out like that without some reason. Whether or not the reason was good was another matter. After all, he still remembered times in the past where Sean caused both himself and Minato Namikaze a great many headaches with his actions.

Sean sighed and rubbed his fingers through his hair. "Well, at the time I figured we could use Zabuza. Y'know, force him to tell us where Gato was so we could put an end to him, then we would drag him back here so you could do whatever you wanted with him. Personally I think he has some information we could probably use about _something_. Just a matter of finding out what that _something_ is. I'm sure Ibiki and Inoichi could find out a great many things from Zabuza-teme here." Smirking to himself, Sean nodded his head at the Hokage before laughing at Zabuza's grumbled insults.

"Anyways, it was pretty pointless in the end. After all, after decking Zabuza for all the crap he's pulled and the crap he caused us, Gato decided to show himself along with hundreds of his precious thugs. At Zabuza's request, I gave him a kunai and let both he and Kakashi go off to play while I went to help the students. Of course, the entire dang time it seemed Naruto, Kiba, and Haku were just chatting away instead of paying _attention_. I easily dealt with the thugs on the half of the bridge where Tazuna-san, Kurenai-san, and the Genin were located. That's when I approached the site of the battle with Haku and overheard little Kiba here insulting me. Speaking of which, you're in for some extra hard training sessions over the course of this next week." Smirking wickedly at the defeated expression on Kiba's face, Sean stepped back and allowed Naruto to finish the story off.

Naruto sighed and stared at his Jiji again. "Jiji-sama, while all of that was going on, Haku was telling us her story about how she met Zabuza, the situation with the Bloodline Purge in Kiri, and her time spent with Zabuza. After another, erm…'inspirational' speech from me, Haku agreed to return with us to Konoha and I kinda promised something…"

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't like the sound of this 'promise' that Naruto spoke of. Quickly rubbing the bridge of his nose and lowering his pipe to his desk, he begged Kami to be merciful to him and let it be better than it sounded. However, the next words out of Naruto's mouth only frustrated him further and caused him to groan. "I promised that I'd talk to you about getting Zabuza citizenship here if he cooperated and told T & I and you everything he knows. He's done a lot of bad, but I told Haku-chan that you wouldn't simply sentence him to death for everything he's done. So…please Jiji?!"

Sighing heavily, the Hokage ordered Zabuza forward so he could get a better look at him. "Naruto-kun obviously sees something in you Zabuza Momochi. And he's generally a good judge of character, so here's what I'm going to do. First, you're going to leave that sword of yours here. I assure you that it will be safe in my possession as nobody would dare try and take it while it's under my watch. Second, you are going to go straight to the T & I Department as soon as this meeting is over. Sean can escort you there. You will willingly give over all information on the situation in Kirigakure, the reasons for your going rogue, and anything else you feel we should know about. Once Ibiki sends word that he is done with you, I'll send Inoichi to verify the information you give to us and see if there's anything more that you may have neglected to tell us. Finally, if you've spoken the truth, if they see no threat from you, and if you truly want to join our village, you will come before me again and I will see about doing what I can for you. Again, keep in mind that this all depends on YOUR behavior Zabuza.

Now, I assume Haku-chan there is interested in joining our village as well?" At seeing everybody nod, the Hokage smiled at the Demon of the Mist and decided to voice his question to him. "As you know her best, what rank would you recommend I give her? From what I've heard she has never killed anyone and has thus far only protected you. I don't see any problem in accepting young Haku into the ranks of Konoha shinobi." Smiling kindly at the girl again before looking up at Zabuza, the Hokage awaited his decision.

Zabuza took a moment to think about everything. After a time he nodded his head and looked into the Sandaime Hokage's eyes. "I suppose it really depends on how you judge your ninja in this village. In Kiri she's good enough to be a Jonin I'd say. However, after the battle on the bridge, I'd say she's most likely Chunin in rank in your village. Still, there is another idea…"

At this, Kakashi and the other Jonin stepped forward and bowed to the Hokage. "Hokage-sama, we request permission to send our Genin out for this part please." Upon receiving a nod of approval, the three Jonin turned and escorted their Genin out of the office and informed them that they had the rest of the day off. Glancing at Sasuke, Haku, and Zabuza, they smirked and stood beside them once more. "Hokage-sama, after Naruto informed his fellow Genin on Teams 7 & 8 about his unique 'situation', Sasuke decided to give his rather _volatile_ opinion."

At this, Hiruzen stared at Sasuke and resumed rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Why do I not like where this is going?" Sean chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head before replying. "Trust me on this Hokage-sama, you're gonna HATE it. After much discussion, we've come to a mutual agreement between the three of us that Sasuke should be kicked from Team 7's ranks. Sasuke…let's just say what he said that night earned him a serious ass-kicking from me. If Kakashi and Zabuza hadn't stopped me, I would have ended up killing Sasuke and the village's 'precious Uchiha' would never have returned to Konoha. The shit he said about Naruto and his parents…"

Holding up his hand, the Sandaime rose from his desk and stepped around it slowly. Upon reaching the other side, he stared down at Sasuke and frowned deeply as he took another few puffs from his pipe. "I want to hear it from you. What exactly did you say regarding Naruto and his parents?"

Sasuke smirked at this. "Let's see here, I think it went along the lines of: "No wonder your parents abandoned you. After all, who would want to take care of a monster such as yourself?" And after everything, I'd have to say I'm right in my line of thinking. And since we are on this subject, I demand that you deal with Mister Demon Lover there! That jerk almost killed me and not one of those jerks tried to help me!"

A huge wave of killing intent flooded the room that knocked most to their knees. Sean, Zabuza, and Kakashi were the only ones standing, but that doesn't mean they weren't sweating under the pressure. Glaring down at Sasuke, Hiruzen shook his head angrily before he finally calmed down and closed his eyes. "You know nothing of the truth _Uchiha_. And keep in mind that you don't get to make **demands** of the Hokage! Kakashi-san? Your request to have him removed from Team 7 is permitted. In fact, I'm going to bring up Sasuke's fate with the Council after Zabuza's situation is decided. For now…" Calling one of his ANBU to his side, the Sandaime pointed at Sasuke as he walked around to sit at his desk again. "Get him out of my sight. Detain him at his home and don't let him out of your sight."

After the ANBU left with Sasuke, Hiruzen turned to the others and smiled. "I'm assuming you came up with some kind of plan to ensure that the rest of Team 7 is still able to enter the Chunin Exams in the coming months, correct?" After saying this, he turned his gaze to Haku and smirked knowingly. "You want this young woman to be the third member of Team 7, don't you Kakashi-san?" After receiving a nod and a "Yes, Hokaga-sama" in return, the Sandaime chuckled softly and nodded his head. "Very well then. As of this day forward, you, Haku, are the third Genin squad member of Team 7. Congratulations." Pulling a Konoha hitai-ate from one of his desk drawers, the Hokage placed it upon his desk and smiled. "If there is no other business…?"

Sean nodded his head and turned to face Zabuza. "Well Zabuza-teme, looks like it's time for you to pay a visit to a good friend of mine." Chuckling evilly, Sean gripped Zabuza by the arm and led him towards the doors. Hiruzen's voice soon stopped him however. "Sean, wait a moment." Turning around to face the Sandaime, Sean frowned. "I want you and Kakashi-san with me when it's time for the Council meeting. Sasuke will be present as well and it would be prudent to have the two of you present with me to help explain things and keep things in order." With a simple nod, Sean assured Hiruzen that he would be there before leaving with Zabuza.

"Even to this day, he still kind of worries me. That sadistic side of him scares even me." Kakashi stated before the Hokage chuckled at him. With a heavy sigh, the silver-haired Jonin turned to glance at the door a moment and then glanced at Haku. "You might think it funny, but you should be glad I'll be your sensei and not him. I'm not sure which of my so-called 'rivals' is worse: Sean or Guy. Guy's just plain creepy and Sean's…well, he's kind of insane. I'm just plain lazy." Realizing what he said, Kakashi quickly shut up and glanced at Hiruzen. Lowering his head, Kakashi rubbed the back of his head lightly and looked to Haku. "Okay, look. I hadn't done a real great job training my team before that last mission. But I'll be working you and your teammates real hard to get you ready for the Chunin exams. If I'm right, you should be able to easily make Chunin when the time comes, but that doesn't mean you don't need training. Actually, that does give me an idea…" Smirking under his mask, Kakashi turned to Kurenai and the Hokage and began to tell them his idea.

**A/N: Chapter 5 is already in the works. This chapter was already incredibly long as it was, so I decided to cut it off and work on the rest of what I had planned for this chapter in Chapter 5. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**Now, for those of you wondering when the Chunin Exams will begin, my best guess would be either Chapter 7 or Chapter 8, I'm not really sure. It could even be a bit later than that. For those of you wondering about Sasuke's fate, Kakashi's idea, etc. etc., please be patient with me. I'll reveal more of what I have planned in the next chapter. I also apologize if I have offended any of you with my ideas in this chapter, or if you don't like how some things turned out. So, again, I apologize if that happened. Still, I do hope the majority of you enjoyed this chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 – Sasuke's Fate, Naruto's Date, & Kakashi's Plan Revealed!**

_**Late Night – Council Meeting Room**_

Shikaku Nara groaned as he laid his head upon the table. "It's so late. Why call a meeting at 11:00 PM at night? I should be at home curled up next to my wife right now enjoying a good, long…" The lazy Nara clan head didn't get to finish his verbal thought as he began yawning loudly. "Meh, until the meeting starts I'm going to rest my eyes."

"Shikaku, don't you dare. Sit up and listen." The command startled the lazy Jonin Commander and everyone soon stared towards the now open doors as five people walked in. The first was easy to recognize: the Sandaime Hokage donning his Hokage hat and robes. Behind him, off to either side were two very recognizable Jonin sensei: Sean the Wind God and Kakashi Hatake, wielder of the Sharingan and ex-ANBU member. Finally, bringing up the rear was one of Hiruzen's personal ANBU who was guiding a restrained Sasuke Uchiha into the room. Seeing this, many people gasped and waited for their Hokage to take his seat before they began to question him for this 'act of barbarism' as some people whispered.

Upon taking his seat, the Sandaime Hokage motioned for Sean and Kakashi to take up positions beside him, slightly behind his chair. As they did, Sean shot a glance at Hiruzen's old teammates and Danzo Shimura as well. Narrowing his eyes as his gaze lingered on them just a moment longer, Sean found himself smirking before turning to face forward along with Kakashi and Hiruzen. It wasn't much longer before the ANBU escorted Sasuke forward and pushed him down onto his knees.

"Many of you are probably wondering why you have been brought here at such a late hour. Even more of you are likely wondering why the last Uchiha is on his knees, restrained in this very room. It all ties in with the latest mission I sent Team 7 on. The first thing I would like to make known is that Sasuke Uchiha is no longer a member of Team 7. Due to his actions on the recent mission, I have made the decision to replace him with a new member. This meeting is to determine the fate of this Uchiha and make it known to everyone here what kind of person he _truly_ is." Staring around the room, the Hokage and his two companions found that the Shinobi side seemed to be willing to listen and were genuinely curious to know what had happened. Meanwhile, those on the Civilian side seemed to be fuming at the treatment of their precious Uchiha. It was obvious that many of them might not be willing to listen to everything that needed to be said. Finally, glancing over his shoulders, he could see his old teammates and Danzo were very unhappy with this turn of events.

Chuckling under his breath, the Hokage raised his hand to silence everybody in the room. "According to these two next to me, Sasuke did some truly terrible things during Team 7's mission to Wave Country. The Uchiha's actions were very unbecoming for a ninja and he disgraced Konoha's and the Uchiha clan's name." This got a rise out of Sasuke personally and he flashed his Sharingan, glaring hatefully up at the three that had put him into this position in the first place. _Good, that's exactly what I was counting on Sasuke. They need to see you for what you _really_ are_.

"Boy, you would do well to deactivate your doujutsu in the presence of your Hokage. Such an act could be taken as a threat; were you not currently restrained of course." Hiashi Hyuga stated calmly as he glared down at Sasuke. Others shared his sentiments with either murmurs or a nod of their heads.

"Thank you Hiashi-san, but it is not necessary. In fact, it's good that Sasuke is showing this side of himself. It's important that people see him for what he is. Now, if everyone will remain quiet, I will continue." Glancing around the room to make sure he had everyone's attention, Sarutobi smiled and nodded his head before continuing on. "A little over a week ago, I assigned Team 7 what was _supposed_ to be a C-rank mission. However, shortly after leaving our village, they were ambushed by Kirigakure's missing-nin, the Demon Brothers. After dispatching their foes, Team 7 had a talk with Tazuna, the bridge builder that they were charged with escorting."

Looking to Kakashi, Hiruzen nodded for him to take over explaining the mission and his findings. Stepping forward, the Copycat Ninja bowed his head momentarily to everyone as is the proper sign of respect. When he had finished, the silver-haired Jonin continued from where the dear Hokage left off. "As Hokage-sama explained, we had a talk with Tazuna-san. After threatening to leave him to fend for himself for lying to us, the bridge builder cracked and began to tell us his story. Long story short, we learned that Gato of Gato Industries was behind the troubles in Wave Country. It wasn't hard to deduce that with such a powerful man behind the troubles that he would hire stronger ninja to try and assassinate the bridge builder."

Glancing around the room to make sure everyone understood the situation thus far, Kakashi continued on. "It should go without saying that I sent a letter back with one of my ninken to inform Hokage-sama of the situation. I also requested for Team 8 specifically to come and assist Team 7 in our mission." Looking over his shoulder, Kakashi gave an eye smile to Sean which he quickly returned with a grin of his own. Turning back to face forward once more, Kakashi became serious once more. "As expected, shortly after entering Wave Country and journeying towards Tazuna-san's house, we were attacked by another missing-nin from Kirigakure: Zabuza Momochi, a.k.a. the Demon of the Mist and one of the legendary Swordsmen of the Mist."

"With that development, your C-rank mission was easily an A-rank mission at the very least! What the hell happened out there Kakashi?" Kakashi, Sean, and Hiruzen glanced towards Hiashi once more. It seemed that the Hyuga clan head actually _did_ care more for his daughter than he let on. Nodding his head in response, Kakashi went on. "Since this was before Team 8 arrived to assist us, I fought Zabuza and managed to defeat him in the end. I admit that it was a hard fought battle, but he was, for the most part, easily dealt with. But enough of that. The point of bringing all of this up was to address the seriousness of the mission."

When everyone nodded, Hiruzen motioned for Sean to step forward and continue. After making sure he understood perfectly well what the Hokage wanted him to discuss with the Council, Sean stepped forward and bowed to everyone in turn. "Team 8 arrived a couple days later. At this time, Team 7 was undergoing training in the tree-climbing exercise. With Kurenai-san and I there, we helped with Team 7's training as well as more advanced training for the Genin of Team 8. But their training is not why this particular meeting was called."

Seeing everyone nod again and hearing some of them urging him to continue and get to the point, Sean bowed his head momentarily and then glanced towards Sasuke. "As mentioned earlier, this meeting has to do with the last Uchiha in our village. Kakashi-san and I bore witness to a few of the things Sasuke pulled in the Land of Waves, but the first serious thing he did took place when Sasuke and Shino were battling Zabuza's accomplice, Haku, on the nearly finished bridge." Turning his gaze to Shibi Aburame, Sean frowned and bowed his head again. "Before I continue, I would first like to offer my apologies to you Shibi-san. Sasuke simply refused to work with your son to face a clearly superior foe. I trained your son as much as possible in the short time we had. In fact, Kurenai, Kakashi, and I all did. However, due to Sasuke's arrogance, Shino was injured in an attempt to protect his teammate."

Pointing at the young Uchiha to drive his point across, Sean continued. "When Shino was struck down, Sasuke's arrogance simply increased apparently. Without his teammate to 'hold him back', Sasuke figured that the battle was more fun for him then or something along those lines. Again, Kakashi-san and I weren't participants in that battle as the two of us were battling Zabuza at the time." With a heavy sigh, he glanced to the Hokage and watched him nod to continue.

Frowning at this, Sean looked down for a moment and shook his head before continuing once more. "At some point during the battle with Haku, Naruto saved Sasuke from what would have been certain death. However, Sasuke's arrogance again got in the way of logic and reason. Naruto managed to convince Haku to cease fighting and even managed to use _words_ to subdue her. All it took was Naruto speaking with her on an emotional level and Haku was swayed to see his point of view. She gave up fighting against our Genin and became fast friends with Naruto-kun."

When Sasuke grinned, Sean could feel his anger rising and quickly dug his fingernails into the palms of his hand to calm himself. As his hands bled, he glanced to the Hokage. Throughout the Civilian Council's side of the room, it was easy to hear them muttering about the 'Demon Brat' and various other comments they were making about Naruto.

While Sean attempted to calm himself, the Sandaime Hokage rose from his chair and emitted a large amount of killing intent to shut everyone up. "Do you think we cannot hear the comments you make about Naruto-kun?! He used no such 'demon magic' as you claim to take control of the girl. If you would only take the opportunity to truly get to know the boy, you fools would come to realize that Naruto has a natural charisma about him that draws people to him. Some of your CHILDREN are quite fond of Naruto-kun, but you refuse to acknowledge it and continue to blame him for things beyond his control! Now be quiet and let Sean speak!" Sitting down once more, Hiruzen nodded for Sean to continue.

Sean bowed his head to the Sandaime again as a sign of thanks before turning and facing Sasuke once more. "When Haku was about to speak with Naruto, about to _confide_ in him…Sasuke snuck up on her and embedded a kunai in her back. She was no longer an enemy and she had given up the fight. There was no need for such an act of barbarism and yet he apparently took _pleasure_ in what he did!" Seeing the reactions of the Shinobi side of the council and then listening to the Civilian side…Sean found himself groaning in disgust. Pointing down at their precious Uchiha, Sean shouted at them again. "Look at your precious Uchiha brat and see the truth! He's _grinning_ about these disgusting acts he's committed! Did you know that Haku is now one of us?! A Konoha shinobi! Haku is a pure soul with a truly kind heart. She, unlike so many of you, truly cares for Naruto as a _person_!"

Sighing again, the Wind God lowered his gaze when he felt a hand upon his shoulder. He didn't need to look to know who it was. "T-Thank you Hokage-sama. I'm sorry, but I just can't stand some people in this village." When Hiruzen simply gave him a knowing smile, Sean turned and hugged him gently for a moment before releasing him and letting Kakashi take over.

"Immediately after what Sasuke did…some of the Kyuubi's chakra leaked from the seal placed by the Yondaime Hokage. This is especially important for you civilians to listen to, so pay _close_ attention as I will not repeat myself to you!" Upon making sure that he had everyone's attention, Kakashi continued. "Naruto retained control, though his anger was clearly evident. Naruto Uzumaki attacked Sasuke and would probably have killed him had Hinata Hyuga not stepped in and calmed Naruto. Before you say ANYTHING, I want you to listen very, _very_ carefully, ALL OF YOU! Naruto listened to the words Hinata spoke and the Kyuubi's chakra receded back into the seal. That young boy was calmed by the kindness that Hinata showed him. Thanks to your daughter Hiasha-sama, both Naruto and Sasuke were saved. She's a very brave soul."

Offering Hiashi his usual eye smile, Kakashi chose to continue. "Despite what some of you may think about Naruto, he showed surprising maturity during this mission. It is thanks to Naruto that Haku's life was spared. It is also thanks to Naruto and Sean both that Zabuza returned with us _willingly_ and shared information with us on a number of topics. Something about Naruto changes people. With Hinata for instance, she's gaining more and more courage the more time she spends with Naruto. Shino is gradually speaking more. I could say more for others, but I think my point has been made."

Allowing his words to sink in for a time, Kakashi turned his gaze to Sasuke and frowned behind his mask. "Later that night…Sasuke did something more that helped settle the decision Kurenai, Sean, and I made regarding his placement on Team 7. As it was pointless to keep it hidden from the Genin of Teams 7 & 8 any longer as they were already suspicious of him for what he had displayed on the bridge earlier in the day, Naruto revealed to them that he is the Jinchuriki that houses the Kyuubi. Sasuke…said some terrible things that caused some real problems at the time."

At this, Hiruzen held up his hand and then stared down at Sasuke. "Would you care to repeat what you said to Naruto, Sasuke? I think the Council deserves to hear this, don't you?" When Sasuke scoffed in response, the Hokage shook his head and sighed. "As you wish. Sasuke said something along the lines of: "No wonder your parents abandoned you. Who would want some 'demon scum' for a child?" Quite despicable don't you think? However, that's not all. Kakashi, would you care to continue please?"

Kakashi nodded and stepped forward once more, shooting an apologizing glance to Sean before he began. "Upon saying this, my comrade here, Sean, lost his temper and assaulted Sasuke. Sasuke's behavior continued to egg him on until Zabuza and I had to restrain him before he killed the Uchiha. Sasuke proceeded to threaten Sean by getting the Council to revoke his duties as a Konoha shinobi. We led Sean back inside, but not before I gave a few choice words to Sasuke. Rather than give you the full speech, I would prefer to explain this to you: No matter how hard my fellow sensei and I try, Sasuke still doesn't understand the concept of **teamwork**. He continues to believe that he doesn't need anybody's help and can do everything on his own. The truth of the matter is, Sasuke is a lost cause. A great many of you have fed the Uchiha's ego to the point that he believes he's the most important person in Konoha and deserves special treatment. With this mindset, he will continue to pose a threat to his teammates as well as himself. Thus, my fellow sensei and I chose to remove him from Team 7 with Hokage-sama's permission."

At this point, the Hokage glanced around the room and closed his eyes a moment before speaking. "One of the first things Sasuke did upon 'greeting' me in my office earlier today was make _demands_ of me." When he heard the many gasps in the room, Hiruzen chuckled quietly to himself and went on. "As can be expected, Sasuke demanded I 'deal' with Sean and punish him in some way. Instead of accepting that he is responsible for his actions and what he has brought upon himself, Sasuke continues to blame others for what happens to him. And this brings us to the present. I ask of you now: what do we do with the last Uchiha?"

The majority of people in the room began to discuss things amongst themselves and their groups, but the first one to speak up was, of course, Danzo. "Hokage-sama, perhaps Sasuke should be assigned to someone as an apprentice. He clearly doesn't work well in a team, and if he's assigned a _proper_ sensei, perhaps he may learn some true respect for his elders and may even come to understand the situation for what it is. In fact, I could even suggest that you hand him over to me for a time…"

Sarutobi quickly cut Danzo off with a wave of his hand. "I wouldn't even think of turning him over to you Danzo. We all know what kind of person you are and I'd be a fool to turn him over to you where you could then train him as a tool to use against me at a later date. However, I must admit that your idea does hold some merit. However, that raises more problems than it truly solves. First, who would be willing to train the arrogant Uchiha? Second, should he wish to participate in the Chunin Exams coming up in three months, how would we go about permitting him entrance to the exams?"

Tsume Inuzuka chose this moment to speak up and voice her opinion. "Hokage-sama, I don't mean any offense here, but why are we even considering this? After hearing all of this, wouldn't it be so much simpler to slap some kind of chakra restriction seal on the Uchiha and confining him to his home where he can't do anybody anymore harm?" A lot of people seemed to voice their agreement to this plan, but Sarutobi quickly dismissed it.

"As much as I'd personally love to do that, such an action would very likely cause turmoil within the village. It would do more harm than good I'm afraid." With a heavy sigh, the Hokage rubbed the bridge of his nose a moment before looking around the room. "I suppose the best we can do is keep him detained until we can find a suitable sensei for him. Someone that can handle the fool. We'll discuss his participating in the Chunin Exams at a later date. ANBU, please escort the Uchiha from the room."

After Sasuke was escorted from the room, Sean looked at the Hokage expectantly. He desperately wanted to get out and get some sleep! However, it seemed that the dear Hokage had other plans. Hiruzen Sarutobi allowed the civilians to return home, but the shinobi had to stay for something more. Grumbling to himself, Sean waited for Hiruzen to get on with it.

"The second matter deals with four Genin teams. To be more specific, it deals with Teams 7 through 10. As some of you may know, Sean has been working as an assistant sensei for Team 8. Earlier today, Kakashi brought something to my attention when he was coming up with plans for a new training regimen for Team 7. From now onwards, Teams 7 through 10 shall each have an assistant sensei. Each month until the Chunin Exams, the assistant sensei shall be reassigned to a different team. This way, Teams 7 through 10 shall each receive more training in various areas. On top of this, each sensei will bring something new to the table and the Genin will be able to learn so much more than they would with a single Jonin sensei. It has already proven highly effective for Team 8, as I'm sure you can attest to, correct Tsume?"

Tsume nodded calmly and smiled at the Hokage. "That is very true Hokage-sama. Kiba has improved tremendously under Sean's tutelage, and he even took the time to come and speak with us about increasing his training regimen at home. And if I may say so, I think this is a very sound plan Hokage-sama. You and Kakashi-san are geniuses for having thought of such a thing! If I may ask though, who will the other assistant sensei be?"

Sean was wondering the exact same thing. He wasn't fond of this idea as it meant he would be away from his favorite student for a longer time than he would have hoped, but even he had to admit that it was a sound plan. When Sandaime-sama began to speak, Sean and the others listened intently to his decision. "Starting tomorrow, the assistant sensei for Team 8 will be Anko Mitarashi. Sean will be assisting Team 7 for the month. Team 9 will have Yugao Uzuki for the month. Finally, Team 10 will have Genma Shiranui as their assistant sensei. Any objections to these choices?"

Sean looked towards Kakashi for a moment before looking to the Hokage and speaking up. "Umm…can I leave some notes for Anko-san about some of the training I had planned for Team 8? It's only a week-long regimen, and I wouldn't mind her putting her own unique spin on things, but I kind of promised a week of hell for Kiba for a comment he made back in Wave. I'd hate to just let him get off easy thanks to this."

When Hiruzen started to laugh heartily, Sean rubbed the back of his head nervously as Tsume and another joined in. When they finally calmed down enough for the Hokage to speak, Sean listened to him intently. "Yes, yes Sean, you may leave some notes with Kurenai and she will be informed to pass them to Anko tomorrow morning when Team 8 meets. Now, is there anything else?" Glancing around at everyone, Hiruzen was glad to see that there were no more objections. Rising from his seat, the Hokage smiled and nodded to them. "Good. This meeting is adjourned. Farewell, and make sure your kids have a healthy breakfast tomorrow. After all, they're definitely going to need it."

_**Next Morning – Team 8 Training Ground – 8:00 AM**_

Naruto, Sakura, and Kiba all looked at the newcomer incredulously. After what felt like an eternity of silence, Naruto pointed a finger at the Snake Mistress accusingly. "What the hell are you doing here? Where the hell is Sean-sensei?!"

Anko glared down at the brat and grumbled. "Why the hell'd I get stuck with a bunch of Gakis? This just isn't fair." Sighing in defeat, the busty woman waved a note in the air. "Listen Gaki, and don't question me! It seems Kakashi, Kurenai here, and Hokage-sama came up with some kinda plan yesterday. For the rest of this month, I'm your new assistant sensei. Teams 7 through 10 each have assistant sensei now. You wanna know why this was actually decided? It's 'cause apparently Sean did such a damn good job helping you become great little Genin that they felt it was a good idea for each of these four teams have the same kind of treatment. By rotating us every month until the Chunin Exams and perhaps beyond that, the hope is that you'll all be so well-rounded that nothing those exams throw your way will be able to stop you. Happy now Gaki?"

The three Genin looked down and sighed sadly. "We're going to miss Sean-sensei. Despite being such a slave driver, he was always good to us. Who is he teaching now? Do you know?" At this, Anko looked to Kurenai and shrugged. The Genjutsu Mistress took a step forward and smiled at each of them. "Sean's helping Kakashi train Team 7 at the moment. That means that Hinata Hyuga, Haku, and Shino Aburame are receiving his special treatment right about now." Smirking at that, the two sensei looked to each other and laughed at the prospect of Kakashi and Sean driving those poor Genin into the ground.

Soon, Anko pulled out another note and grinned at the three Genin. "Okay, which one of you is Kiba?" At this, Kiba gulped nervously and slowly raised his hand. _Oh God, please, please, PLEASE don't tell me that's what I think it is!_ Kiba thought to himself in horror of what the note might be. "Ahh, good. Okay Dog Breath, it seems you pissed Sean off real well. Not sure how you pulled that off, but he has a full list of crap here he wants you to do. I can guarantee that if we stick to this training schedule, you're not even going to be able to walk by the end of the week. Sooo, that being said, I decided to add my own flair to this training schedule of his. Here, take a look."

After handing the note to Kiba, Naruto and Sakura both peered over his shoulders to read it as well. All three visibly paled at what was written down. "I'm screwed." Anko smirked and nodded her head. Smiling proudly at him, the Snake Mistress patted the boy on both of his shoulders. "Ohhh yes, you're _very_ screwed, and **not** in a good way. You'll have to wait a good while for that to happen to you Runt. Now go on and get started. In the meantime, Kurenai-chan and I are going to play with Sakura and Naruto. Let's see what you've got kiddos!"

_**With Team 7**_

"Come on, come on, come on! You're not moving fast enough! Do you want me to catch you?!" Sean shouted as he chased after the three Genin of Team 7 with his sword flashing in the air before him. As the three Genin ran in fear of their lives, they each tried to come up with some kind of plan to get the crazy bastard off their tails. Turning her head to look at Shino, Haku quickly shouted at him. "Do you think those bugs of yours can slow him down? I tried to strike him with my ice senbon, but he blew them away!"

Shino glanced behind him and quickly shook his head. By this point the bug user's hood had fallen back, revealing his spiky brown hair and disheveled face. "I doubt my friends would be of any help in this situation. The only thing I can think of to do is distract him long enough with our abilities until Hinata-san can sneak up behind him and disable him, thus enabling our getaway."

Hinata glanced back at Sean and paled to the point it looked like she was about to be sick. "Y-You want me to disable THAT?! How Shino-san?! And more importantly, where the hell is Kakashi-sensei when we need him?!"

Shino frowned at her response and quickly created a **Mushi Bunshin (Insect Clone)** to assist him for a time. "Hinata-san, I've seen your abilities and I know you can at least calm him down. As for Kakashi-sensei, he's sitting in a tree a short distance north-northwest of us reading his book once more. He seems perfectly content to let Sean-sensei beat us into shape for a time. Now, please don't lose yourself to panic and join us in stopping our assistant sensei Hinata-san. I know you can do it."

Haku smiled at Hinata for a moment before she turned around and dashed towards Sean. With Shino at her side and his Mushi Bunshin attempting to distract Sean for a brief period of time, the two began trying to enact their hastily made plan to keep Sean occupied until Hinata could hopefully disable him before he truly did kill them.

As she dashed off to his side to try and mask Hinata's movements in the distance, Haku quickly went through handseals for a Futon jutsu that she knew. It wasn't as powerful as one of her Hyōton techniques, and it was Sean's primary element, but she figured it was a worthy enough distraction for the time being. Soon enough Haku stopped and faced Sean as he turned and grinned her way. Upon finishing her handsigns, the ice user grinned. "**Fūton: Hanachiri Mai (Wind Release: Flower Scattering Dance)**!"

Sean was actually somewhat impressed. Haku showed she was capable of using what could have been a pretty powerful Futon jutsu, but it was far from perfected and with a simple slash of his wind sword, Sean was able to dissipate the technique easily. "Nice try Haku-chan, but it's just not enough. Doesn't mean I can't help you perfect that technique later though all right?" Smiling at her for a brief moment, the Wind God quickly turned and dispatched another of Shino's insect clones before it could get any closer. "Those are starting to piss me off. Just wanted to let you know that Shino. As for you Hinata…" The Wind God smirked and pointed his wind sword behind him at the young lass, "You might as well stop attempting to sneak up on me. Whatever you have planned isn't going to work."

"I beg to differ. **Doton: Doryūsō (Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears)**!" Glancing to his left upon hearing the voice, Sean found himself immediately having to dodge and roll out of the way of numerous spears of rock shooting up from the ground all around the area. When he finally stopped, he found himself struck numerous times in the back and began to laugh.

Slowly turning around to face Hinata, Sean grinned and nodded his head. "Very, very good you three. I'm impressed." And with that, Sean's body burst and a violent tornado spun throughout the area, tossing all three Genin aside. Shortly afterwards, both Kakashi and the real Sean touched down in the spot where the clone had burst not long ago. "You managed to defeat my **Tatsumaki Bunshin (Tornado Clone)**. Sorry for tricking you, but I wanted to see how you three would perform as a new team. Now, why don't the three of you stand up and we can get started on the _real_ training?"

_**Team 9's Training Ground**_

Yugao found herself cursing Kakashi, Kurenai, and Sean under her breath quite frequently as she waited for Guy and Lee to stop their incessant hugging. When their bonding moment finally ended, the Kenjutsu Mistress looked to Neji Hyuga and Tenten and sighed heavily. "Please, please tell me they don't do this too often?" When they simply frowned her way and gave her a look that practically SCREAMED 'you're kidding, right?!', Yugao lowered her head in defeat. After a time, she began to chuckle darkly. "Kakashi and Sean are going to die for this."

"Ah, Yugao-san! You know my rivals as well? Do tell me, how are they doing these days?" As Might Guy appeared in her face, Yugao's eyebrow began to twitch dangerously and she slammed the hilt of her blade into the top of Guy's head, effectively knocking him to the ground. "Don't DO that to me! I don't know how they're doing currently as they've both been busy, _obviously_. But it's because of those two that this is even happening. Apparently some special deal with Sean assisting Kurenai-san in teaching the Genin of Team 8 is what sparked this 'brilliant' idea. I've been temporarily removed from ANBU for this! At least _try_ to act somewhat normal. Please?!"

"Pardon me Yugao-sensei, but I believe that's asking for a bit too much. Guy-sensei and Lee-san are like this every single day. In fact, Guy-sensei's training regimen is so ridiculous that we're amazed we're even still alive. How Lee-san is able to keep up with Guy's energy is beyond me. The two of them are like clones of one another in case you haven't already seen it for yourself." Neji explained sadly as he looked to what some have said were a possible father/son duo. It really didn't take much to see why some people began to spread that rumor to begin with, but it was really only pure coincidence that the two resembled each other so much.

"Just try and forget about those two. Could you perhaps explain what you could teach us during the month that we have you? If you were assigned to be an assistant sensei along with the others, then you must have something special about you, correct?" Tenten asked curiously as she looked up at the tall, violet-haired woman. "From the looks of you, you're a Kenjutsu specialist correct? If that's all you have to teach us, I'm the only one that could truly benefit from your teachings."

Looking down at Tenten, the beautiful ANBU woman smiled softly and nodded her head. "While you are correct about my being a Kenjutsu specialist, there's more to my abilities than that. I primarily use Kenjutsu, but I plan to instruct each of you in the use of a variety of weapons, as I'm sure Guy-san can as well. But beyond that, I can also help teach you some ninjutsu and advanced chakra control exercises. I may not be as effective with those particular teachings as I am with weapons training, but I will do what I can for you to prepare you for the coming Chunin Exams. But, it sounds as if I'll be spending a good portion of my time training you Tenten-san if you're interested in learning about the arts of Kenjutsu?"

Tenten nodded with a big smile on her face, but before she could say anything more, Rock Lee and Neji approached her as well. Rock Lee was the first to speak up. "If you can train us in more than Kenjutsu as you say, then I would gladly learn the use of weapons from you. Guy-sensei has begun training me in the use of nunchaku and bojutsu (Staff Techniques), but I will gladly learn what I can from you Yugao-sensei." Bowing low to her, Rock Lee did his best to show her the same respect he would show to Guy.

Neji frowned as he looked up at her. "I'm afraid the Hyuga are very strict in their ways. Our Taijutsu style combined with our Byakugan has always proven sufficient enough. So I don't see what you could possibly teach me Yugao-sensei." Despite what he had said, the Hyuga bowed to her to try and show her even a small semblance of respect.

Frowning at the young Hyuga branch member, Yugao folded her arms against her chest over her bust and shook her head. "It really comes down to what you are _willing_ to learn from me Hyuga-san. I don't much care for the strict ways of your clan. Your clan members could benefit just as well as other shinobi from the art of Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Kenjutsu, and other weapon arts. I'm sure if you gave me a chance, we could find something you'd like." Smiling at the thirteen year-old, Yugao didn't really expect for any change from him and that was fine with her. However, she vowed to be there if he ever did take an interest in what she had to teach.

_**Team 10's Training Ground**_

"It's hard to believe, isn't it guys? I swear that's everything Sakura told me yesterday afternoon. Sasuke-kun…what the hell happened to him to make him behave so terribly?" Ino laid under a tree with her teammates: Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi. Glancing over at them, she saw Choji munching on some BBQ chips, although much slower than he usually ate them. It appeared that he was thinking heavily about what Ino had just told them. Meanwhile, Shikamaru was yawning loudly and scratching the back of his head, much to Ino's annoyance.

Glancing over at his blonde-haired teammate, the lazy Nara genius shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "It's not really all that hard to believe. Think about it for a moment Ino." Lying back, the Nara clan heir looked to the clouds and frowned. "Sasuke's ego has been fed ever since he lost his entire clan. The village has treated him like a prince, and as such they've spoiled him and made him believe he's perfect. It doesn't really have anything to do with his skills as a shinobi, it's mainly due to the fact he's the last Uchiha in the village, and thus the only one with the genes left to pass on their precious Sharingan. Therefore, it's important to them to make sure Sasuke stays happy so he doesn't abandon the village. It's actually _because_ of them feeding that troublesome ego of his and turning him into the prick he is today that has a true chance of chasing him off someday."

Flipping over on his side, the Nara heir looked up at Ino and sighed again. "What's the one thing Sasuke wants more than _anything_ Ino? Answer that and I'll go on. If you can't think of the right answer, then I'll drop this discussion here." When Choji looked about to answer, Shikamaru hushed him with a finger and shook his head. "No Choji-san, it's important for Ino to answer this question herself. If she can't, then she isn't ready to hear the truth of things just yet."

Looking at Choji nod in response to Shikamaru, Ino looked between the two of them before looking down and putting a few fingers to her chin and taking a thoughtful expression. "Before…I guess we kind of thought he just _needed_ somebody to love him and care for him. Somebody to help take away all that pain. But that's not what he _wanted_…is it Shika?" Staring into Shikamaru's eyes, the blonde kunoichi watched him nod before he urged her to continue on. "Okay, thinking about everything I know about Sasuke and what's been said to me about him lately…it sounds like the only thing he really wants is…power." Blinking a few times, she looked at Shikamaru and frowned deeply. "But why?"

Shikamaru sighed and sat up against the tree before turning his gaze back to the clouds. "Ino, Sasuke's obsessed. It's not necessarily power that he wants or needs. At least, it's not the sole thing he wants. Power is important to him, but it's for the wrong reasons. Sasuke wants revenge upon the one who murdered his clan members and left him the sole survivor. It's as obvious as Naruto loving ramen." Chuckling softly to himself, the Nara heir glanced at Ino out of the corner of his eyes. "From what you told us about what Sakura told you…it sounds like he's so far gone at this point that Sasuke's losing his mind in this search for power. That troublesome Uchiha is of the belief that a team only holds a person down. Sasuke doesn't understand that teammates support one another and help them with their goals. They work together to complete a mission successfully and they make sure that they all return alive from tougher missions. Sasuke doesn't understand any of this. As I said before, his ego has become so bad that Sasuke believes he only needs himself."

Choji decided to interrupt at this point. "If I had been there when Sasuke pulled what he did with Naruto on the bridge, and when Naruto told them what he did back at that house you spoke of, Sasuke wouldn't have come back at all. I may not be the best shinobi in the world, but nobody should do things like that. Naruto's grown up without parents. That's bad enough as it is. Sasuke's words were completely unnecessary. Do you see now why Sasuke's not the kind of guy you should be pining after Ino? Shika and I care about you Ino. Not only are you our teammate, but you're our friend. Sasuke's the type of guy that would only use you and hurt you. Sasuke might change someday, but it doesn't matter. He's not the kind of guy you want to get involved with Ino."

Before Ino could respond, the three Genin each heard a few claps and looked out towards the center of their training field. "All right, that's enough of that you three. Come on over here and meet our assistant sensei: Genma Shiranui. Seems the Hokage set something special up thanks to your pals on Team 8. Genma, mind taking it over from here?"

Genma sighed and ran his hand over the top of his head. "Yeah, I suppose it'd be a good idea to explain things. I'm sure you three already know how Team 8 had an assistant Jonin sensei going by the name of Sean, correct?" Seeing them nod, Genma nodded in return and continued on as he shifted the senbon to the other side of his mouth and chewed on it for a bit longer. "Well apparently he did such a fine job teaching those kids on Team 8 that Kakashi came up with a rather unique idea. From now until the Chunin exams, Teams 7 through 10 will each have an assistant sensei. Sean has been reassigned to Team 7 for now, Team 8 has our resident Snake Mistress, Anko Mitarashi, Team 9 has Yugao Uzuki, and you guys have me, Genma Shiranui. At the end of each month until the Chunin Exams, the four of us will be reassigned to a new team so that each of these four Genin squadrons can stay on top of the ball so to speak. Now, any questions?"

Ino looked at Genma incredulously for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, I have one. What kinds of things could you have to teach us Genma-sensei? And if Sean-sensei is so good, when do we get to meet him?" The looks on everyone's faces caused her to blink a few times and shrug her shoulders. "What?"

Genma sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Believe it or not, that can actually sound pretty insulting if you take the time to think about it. The way you sounded, it's almost as if you believe I'm not worth your time. I assure you that while Sean might be damn good, I'm also incredibly skilled. The same can be said for Anko and Yugao. There's a reason the four of us were chosen as assistant sensei." Smiling down at the three Genin, Genma nodded his head proudly. "I can teach you in the ways of Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and, if you really want, I can help you with some other fun things too. I guarantee that the three of you are going to love having me around as your assistant sensei."

Asuma sighed and chose that moment to speak up. "Enough with all that. We're going to take on a few more missions today, and then we'll begin on your new training regimen. Genma has already had a talk with your parents about increasing your training at home, so it seems you're going to be awfully busy until the Chunin Exams come around. Now hurry up, introduce yourselves, and let's go."

_**Later that Night – 6:00 PM**_

Naruto calmly walked the streets dressed in some new clothes that Sean helped him pick out the day before. As this was his first time wearing these new clothes, the blonde-haired ninja felt a bit uncomfortable, especially with the lack of orange, but he really wanted to leave a good impression on his first date with Hinata. Currently he held some flowers purchased from the Yamanaka Flower Shop in his right hand, while he continued to fidget with his outfit with his left.

A short time later, he stood before the Hyuga compound waiting for Hinata to step out. _Okay, she said she'd meet me out front around this time, so am I just supposed to wait here for her or what?_ Naruto thought quietly to himself. It actually didn't take more than a few minutes for Hinata to come rushing out the front door and bursting through the gate, straight into his arms. Blushing furiously, Naruto held her at arm's distance and looked her over. "Calm down a bit Hinata. What's the rush? We have a couple of hours to relax and enjoy ourselves don't we?"

Hinata nodded and smiled sweetly at him. "We do, but can we please get away from here before my father catches us together? I left without his permission…" Seeing Naruto smile and nod at her, she took his hand and walked off with him towards the restaurant Hinata had chosen for the duo to start off their date: Ichiraku Ramen.

Upon arriving at the stand, Hinata went to lift the flaps and enter, but Naruto squeezed her hand gently and she turned to face him. "Hinata-chan, you do know we can go somewhere else right? I know this probably isn't the greatest place to bring a girl on a first date and I don't want you doing this just for me. So again, just to be sure…is this what you really want Hinata-chan?" Naruto looked at her for an answer, but instead of receiving a verbal response, the Hyuga heiress giggled cutely and tugged on his arm until he stumbled into the stand with her.

Laughing lightly with her, Naruto sat down beside her and greeted the Ichirakus happily. "Teuchi-oji-san! Ayame-nee-chan! It's great to see you two again. I haven't been able to see you since I got back." When his friends came over to greet him, they looked at the beautifully dressed Hinata and then back at Naruto with knowing grins. "W-What're you looking at me like that for?"

"My little Naruto-kun's growing up! I'm so proud of you! You've got yourself such a pretty girlfriend now! Congratulations Naruto-kun! Tell me you little cutie you, what's your name?" Getting a closer look at the girl, Ayame awaited an answer with an absolutely giddy grin on her face.

Blushing furiously under Ayame's praise, Hinata looked to Naruto and then back at the Ichirakus while gently poking her fingers together. "M-My name is Hinata Hy-Hyuga. It's a pleasure to meet you two finally. Naruto-kun says such wonderful things about you two." Bowing her head to them, she was surprised to hear the older man laugh a bit. "D-Did I say something funny?"

Teuchi quickly shook his head and waved a cooking utensil around in the air. "No, no little lady, you're just fine. It's just not every day a Hyuga shows respect to the two of us. Normally everyone bows to you folk Hinata-san. It's good to meet you. So, when did you two start going out huh?" Teuchi asked while Ayame took out a notepad and quickly took their orders. Glancing at the order, Teuchi nodded his head and went to get to work while awaiting their answer.

"I asked her out when we were coming home from our mission in the Land of Waves Teuchi-oji-san. Hinata-chan's a sweetheart and she's really, really pretty. In fact, she's the one that wanted to come here for our first date. Isn't she awesome?!" Smiling over at Hinata, Naruto saw her going even redder from the praise and quickly waved his hands in the air. "Oy! Hinata-chan, please don't faint again. I thought you were getting over that?"

Hinata lowered her head and smiled shyly. "S-Sorry Naruto-kun. I'm still not used to all the praise. You're really t-too kind to me." When he simply waved the notion off, she looked hard into his eyes and frowned at him. "It's true! Neji-nii-san is always so grumpy with me, Hanabi-chan looks down on me even though she's my imouto (little sister), and my father always ridicules me and acts like I'm such a disappointment. When I tried to implement my water element into my Jūken (Gentle Fist) taijutsu stance, he got upset with me and claimed I was disgracing the Hyuga name. In fact, he made me feel so bad that I couldn't even spar with my sister for even a minute this time! Out on missions, I can do so well and nobody complains about how I fight, but at home…at home I can't please anyone." Lowering her head, Hinata could feel tears stinging her eyes.

That soon stopped when Naruto placed his hand on her shoulder moments before he wrapped her in a hug from behind. "Hinata-chan, why do you let him get to you so bad? You've told me about the clan and their stupid laws. You hate that stuff. If you ask me, you're going to have to show them how very wrong they are about you and their ways somehow. And if what Sean-sensei told me about the Chunin Exams is anything to go by, I think that'll be the perfect way to go about doing it too! What do you say Hinata-chan? Let's continue to get stronger and we'll prove everybody wrong about the two of us together during the Chunin Exams dattebayo!"

Ayame smiled while the two laughed together and chatted the time away. Leaving them alone, she went and helped her father prepare the ramen for the cute couple. By the time their food was done, Ayame and Teuchi carried it out to them and the father/daughter duo decided to give a little announcement that would hopefully brighten their night a bit more. "Naruto-kun, Hinata-chan, Otousan and I have decided that tonight's meal is on the house. We're doing this for the two of you for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it's to congratulate you on finding each other and making each other happy. Secondly, we're going to celebrate you two doing well in the upcoming Chunin Exams. Don't try to argue with us, just think of this as a promise between family. Naruto-kun, Hinata-chan, you go out there when the Chunin Exams come around and give it your very best!" Soon enough the four cheered happily and the night carried on with the four sharing in conversation and laughter together.

_**Meanwhile at the Dango Shop**_

"Sean, you're the best! I can't believe you're treating us to dango of all things!" Anko proclaimed loudly before she threw her arms around Sean's neck and kissing his cheek happily. This caused the Wind God to blush furiously and freeze up before she removed her arms and continued eating her precious dango in bliss.

"Well, as awkward and amusing as that was, would you mind telling us why you summoned us here Sean-san?" Yugao asked politely, hoping to clear the air a bit. However, Sean still appeared frozen. In fact, it didn't even appear as if he was breathing. Eyebrow twitching dangerously, the violet-haired woman was preparing to kick him in the shin to snap him out of his stupor when Genma held out his hand up and shook his head.

"Relax Yugao-san, just give it some time. Apparently Sean's a shy one. I'm willing to bet you anything that this is actually the first time a woman has actually shown him such an affectionate action. Poor guy hasn't had the easiest life. Remember Yugao-san?" Genma stated as he watched Anko eat her dango happily, obviously completely oblivious to what she had just done to Sean. With a sigh, he waved his hand in front of Sean's face before flicking him in the nose. "Wake up Buddy, it's time to talk to your peers now."

Blinking a few times, Sean's blush finally died down and he rubbed at his nose. "S-Sorry. I…um…I wasn't expecting that. I know Anko-san likes dango and she's the one looking after Naruto-kun and the others of Team 8 for me, so I figured this was appropriate I guess." The Wind God's eyes were still wide as he stared straight ahead, apparently unable to see anything before him.

Nervously, Sean gripped a stick of his own and plucking a single dumpling from it and swallowing it with an audible gulp after chewing it for a few brief moments. After finishing the stick off and plopping it back upon his plate, Sean breathed out and then in slowly a few times until he felt himself calming down. Choosing to keep his gaze focused on Yugao and Genma rather than even ONCE glancing at the woman sitting next to him singing happily to herself as she ate, Sean began to speak up.

"Okay, the reason I called the three of you here is simple: I wanted to talk about the state of the teams and to discuss this plan Kakashi and Hokage-same came up with. Yugao-san." Looking directly into her eyes, Sean folded his hands together and rested his chin on his hands with a small smirk. "I can't believe you're too happy about being forced into this particular position. I was happy teaching Team 8, but the two of them sprung this on me during the recent Council meeting and now I'm with Team 7. So, since this all happened because of me, I figured I should start us off first."

Sighing heavily, Sean picked up another dango stick and grinned. "Team 7's definitely in need of a lot of work, but from what I've seen thus far, I must admit that I'm impressed. Shino and Hinata pick up on things really fast. I learned that during the mission to Wave, but it's become even more apparent how very skillful they are after today. More importantly however is the fact that the two of them are already working incredibly well with Haku, their new teammate. They haven't known her long and they're already an amazing team." Smiling at his friends, Sean nodded his head calmly and closed his eyes. "My general plan for the month is to boost Hinata's confidence level as much as possible, help Haku learn some wind jutsu and strengthen her usage of said jutsu, and help Shino perfect his Taijutsu stance and perhaps teach him a little bit of Ninjutsu on the side. Kakashi can drill teamwork into them pretty darn well and he can teach them whatever else he feels like. Sooo, who wants to go next huh?"

Genma smiled and nodded his head. "I think I see the point of this meeting. You want to put everything on the table and see if we can't help give each other more ideas of what to do to strengthen our teams. Correct Sean?" Seeing the Wind God nod in response, the Tokubetsu Jonin (Special Jonin) grinned and decided to pose a question to the wind specialist. "All right, it's a good idea, but I have another question for you. How often do you want to hold these meetings with us? Knowing you, you have to have some kind of schedule planned out for the four of us."

Sean chuckled and nodded his head calmly. "Genma-buddy, you know me so well. Yeah, I already thought about that as well. If it's all right with the three of you, I'd like to meet up once every week, preferably at the end of the week so we can discuss the progress of our teams and help each other come up with more to do for the following week. And before anyone asks, my general plan for who hosts the meeting every weekend is this: we'll trade off every week. Seeing as how I, the assistant sensei for Team 7, am hosting the meeting tonight, the assistant sensei for Team 8, in this case Anko Mitarashi-san, will host the meeting next week. Whoever's the host each week will have to set up the location, time, and even pay for meals or cook or whatever else the assistant sensei so chooses to do. So, that being said, you might want to get to planning Anko-chan." Smirking at her, Sean soon found himself blushing again as he remembered the kiss to his cheek and he immediately turned away from her and resumed eating his dango. "G-Genma-san, please discuss your team if you will."

Laughing at his friend's embarrassment, the Tokubetsu Jonin nodded his head and spoke up. "All right, I like that idea. Every Saturday night, trade off who hosts going from Team 7 on up until it reaches Team 10's assistant sensei, and finally it'll loop around to Team 7's assistant sensei again. Now, as for Team 10, I have to admit they aren't bad. They need a LOT of improvement, but I have to say I'm kind of impressed with them. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio are almost as good as their parents were at that age. The Nara boy is just as lazy as his father, but he's much harder to motivate to get anything done. Choji eats about as much as his father does, but that's understandable considering the Akimichi clan's unique jutsu. For the most part, Choji's an excellent fighter, but he could use a bit more diversity. The poor boy's a bit easy to catch off guard at the moment. Ino on the other hand…" Sighing sadly, the Tokubetsu Jonin shook his head. "While it seems she's not much of a fangirl type anymore, she's missed out on a LOT of training because of her choice to swoon over 'Sasuke-kun'. Apparently your student from Team 8, Sakura Haruno, managed to talk some sense into her after what she witnessed for herself in the Land of Waves. So Anko-san, if you can, please thank Sakura for me the next time you see her all right?"

Anko nodded in response and then turned to Sean again. "These taste so much better when somebody else is paying for them. This assistant sensei thing is the best thing ever!" At this, Genma shook his head and laughed lightly before he continued on. "Anyways, moving on. My general plans for Team 10 this week are as follows: teamwork. For the most part, Team 10 could use improvement in the teamwork aspect of things. While Asuma-san and I are training them in the art of teamwork, I also plan to refine their individual Taijutsu styles and set up sparring sessions for at least a few hours a day so they can practice. Something simple to start things off with. Now, since Anko seems perfectly content at the moment to drain your wallet more and more Sean-san, perhaps Yugao should go next?"

The violet-haired woman nodded her head and looked around at her three companions. "Team 9 is…peculiar. As I'm sure you know, Team 9 consists of Might Guy, Rock Lee, Neji Hyuga, and Tenten. Might Guy and Rock Lee are practically clones and when they hug and shout each other's names, it's a sight that can scare anyone into submission. In fact, when I arrived this morning to begin my new job as assistant sensei to Team 9 that was the sight I was greeted with. If I could somehow scrub that image from my brain, I would without question. The green spandex shows off way too much as well. Whichever one of you ends up with Team 9 next, BEWARE! That's all I'll say about that particular subject."

As the lovely young woman shivered, Sean reached over and gently patted her hand while Genma patted her on the shoulder. As the two males offered their condolences for her suffering, she sighed and thanked them kindly before continuing on. "Team 9 seems to be a team focused on attacking and detaining their opponents with superior skill and power. Tenten, the sole kunoichi of the group, seems like the only one that could truly benefit from my teachings. Neji Hyuga absolutely refuses to work with me at this point, and Rock Lee seems a little too eager to get to know me better. The worst part of the day is the fact that Might Guy…asked me out." At this, Yugao shivered more.

Sighing again, Yugao looked to Sean and groaned a moment later. "I blame you for this torment Sean-san. I honestly do." Lowering her head, the Kenjutsu Mistress ate some of her dango before speaking again. "Anyways, back to the topic at hand. Rock Lee happens to be a very interesting character, and I don't mean in the creepy, Guy clone way. He hasn't the aptitude for Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. The only thing he truly excels in is Taijutsu. I honestly plan to let Guy continue with Lee's training in that regard. There is no need for me to get involved in Lee's Taijutsu training. However, he has asked that I instruct him in the use of a few new weapon types, so my plan for Lee this week is actually to have him try a few new weapon types so we can find something that truly fits him and work from there.

Tenten is a weapons' specialist that employs the use of Fuinjutsu into her attack style. She needs improvement in her Taijutsu, so Guy and I will continue to work with her on that. I'm also going to teach Tenten in the ways of Kenjutsu. She employs so many different weapons in her fighting style however that I'm hoping I'll be able to work with her for longer than just this month. She has potential to be a great kunoichi!" Yugao sounded simply ecstatic at this point and it caused the other three to quirk their eyebrows and look at her curiously until she calmed down and regained her composure. "Umm…anyways…"

Sighing and running a hand through her beautiful hair to straighten it once more, Yugao continued on. "Neji Hyuga, as I said before, has that air of superiority about him that some of the Hyuga tend to have. However, after having his past explained to me by Guy-san, I admit that I understand why he is the way he is. I will continue to try and convince him to work with me, but until he decides to put some faith in me, I'm afraid there isn't much I can do for him. Finally, as odd as the team might be and as much as they may bicker from time to time, their teamwork is truly impressive. They should do very well in the coming Chunin Exams."

Nodding his head, Sean turned once more to Anko and managed to keep himself calm this time. "Anko-chan, would you care to take a moment to tell us about your findings with Team 8? I'm curious to know how my friends are doing now." When Anko smiled brightly at him, she nodded her head and began to laugh evilly. Sean had a feeling he knew why she was laughing that way, while Genma and Yugao looked slightly worried.

"Sean, whatever you did to them before, they claim I'm like the female version of you. If I recall correctly, that mutt, Kiba said something about me being a 'sadistic bitch' when he thought I couldn't hear. So on top of that week of hell you had planned out for him, I decided to make him suffer even more. The kid's got spunk, I'll give him that, but he's not too bright. Still, I must admit he's tough. For his first day under my watch, Kiba managed to keep it up until the end of the day when training finally ended. Still, is it true that you have his mother and sister pounding more training into him at home? Poor kid really won't be able to walk by the time this week's over. I'll be amazed if he's even alive at this rate."

Sean smirked and nodded his head. "Ohhh yes, Kiba's digging himself an early grave. Still, I fully agree with you about him being impressive. Just wait until your next mission that takes you beyond the village walls. Kiba's a little powerhouse I tell you." Grinning proudly, Sean motioned for Anko to continue on.

Anko smirked at him and poked his forehead. "You and I _definitely_ need to spend more time together Seanie. Anyways, you were right about Sakura. Now that she's getting over that stupid crush on that Uchiha brat, she's turning into quite the kunoichi. Sakura's thrown herself into her training so she can prove herself to her teammates. I overheard a little conversation between the Genin today where she said something about wanting to be able to keep little Naruto safe. Seems he's her new best friend or something like that. Didn't you tell me she used to beat him up for acting stupid? Now they laugh together and joke around constantly. I think you'd be proud of her for making such a change."

Sean simply nodded and waited for her to go on. "Naruto on the other hand..." Looking into the Wind God's face to register his expression, Anko smiled and popped another dumpling into her mouth and chewing it before continuing. "The kid's really good. Whether they admit it or not, Blondie's the leader of the group. They're a fantastic team and I have to say that they should do really well in the Chunin Exams. Everything you told me about the three of them was spot on. Now, my plans for the week right?"

The wind specialist nodded again and Anko grinned. "Well, Kiba's going to go through hell, I can say that. Physical exercises, sparring, jutsu training, the works. Meanwhile, Kurenai-chan and I will spar with Naruto and Sakura frequently to continue to work on their individual Taijutsu styles. Kurenai's going to try and teach Sakura more about Genjutsu until the Chunin Exams comes around so she can fill in the role of support for her team. I'll try and teach Naruto and Kiba some Katon jutsu if at all possible. I'm not sure what the heck I can teach Sakura besides Taijutsu right now." With a shrug of her shoulders, Anko leaned her face on her hand after resting her elbow on the table.

By this point, the four were done with their dango and their tea and were simply waiting for the check. For a good while, they talked about various things that the four of them could do to help improve their training regimen for the Genin teams and where they'd be meeting up after a week's time. When they were leaving, Anko chose to follow after Sean when he waved good-bye to the group. _Hehehe, time to see what else I can learn about you Seanie-boy. Anyone who buys me dango and comes off as more sadistic than me I just _have_ to learn more about!_

_**Naruto & Hinata, a couple minutes after the Assistant Sensei meeting ended**_

After their dinner at Ichiraku Ramen had ended and the couple had finished talking the night away with the Ichirakus, Naruto and Hinata had begun a walk through the streets of the village. The entire time they talked, held hands, and even kissed each other a few times. Finally, their walk led them to the top of the Hokage Monument where Naruto sat her down on the top of the Yondaime's head beside him. For a good while, they continued to talk about a variety of things, but then Naruto's tone took on a somber note and Hinata listened intently to what he had to say.

"You know something Hinata? Even before I learned that the Yondaime was my father, I would always find myself sitting here atop his head staring out over the village. Oftentimes I'd come here to get away from the beatings, the namecalling…everything. Even now I come here and when I look out over the village, I find myself wondering something. Even to this day, I still don't have the answer for my question." Turning his head slightly, the young, blonde man tried to gauge Hinata's reaction.

After a few minutes, the young Hyuga heiress found herself frowning as she looked into her new boyfriend's eyes. "Naruto-kun. Whatever it is, you can talk with me about it. I promise I'll listen, and I promise I'll help you out as best I can. But, before that, I wanted to say something about what you said just now. Even if you didn't know, it seems that you might have been having some subconscious reaction to being close to your father's, erm, face. If I had to guess, I'd say that being this close to him, in a spiritual sense, not a physical sense, helped to bring you some clarity when you really needed it. But beyond that, you've always felt safe up here. This is a place that brings you peace. Right?"

Naruto chuckled softly and nodded his head. "Yeah, you're right about all of that Hinata-chan. I feel so at ease up here and I find it much easier to think when I'm here. Not even Sean-sensei knows about this being my special place. Now, that thought from earlier…" Looking to her again, the blonde leaned over and placed a kiss upon her cheek before turning and staring out over the village again. "Whenever I'm up here, I find myself wondering how something so beautiful, so magnificent, can hold such darkness? To everyone else, the people of this village are considered some of the nicest people in the entire world. And yet they show me their true selves. So many people of this village are monsters, but so many people can't see it. Even now that I'm a Genin I still receive the same treatment from so many people. People like Sean-sensei and Jiji-sama have to come with me when I go shopping because most places won't even let me in to shop when I'm by myself. Anyways, my point is this: is everywhere like this? Does every place of beauty hold darkness deep within? I just want peace Hinata-chan. I want to be respected, treated with kindness, and even _loved_. The way things are in the village right now are just so, so…wrong. I hate it. Sometimes I even wonder if they knew who my parents were if they might act a bit differently, but somehow…I really doubt it. Chances are they'd just claim it was all a lie and things will never get better. I really just don't know what to do sometimes Hinata-chan."

Glancing down, Naruto was about to speak more when the two of them sensed a presence behind them. Quickly turning around, they saw Sean step forward and their eyes widened. "H-How long has he been standing there Naruto-kun? I didn't even sense him until now!" Hinata scooted closer to Naruto and the two of them looked at the Wind God. At the moment something about him struck them as off, but neither could quite tell what it was.

Sean stood staring at his students for a moment longer before turning away from them and stepping towards the Shodai Hokage's stone face. The entire time he had been walking thus far, he could easily sense Anko following behind him, but he paid her no mind. Finding Naruto and Hinata atop the Yondaime's head talking had caused him a moment of confusion, but he chose to ignore them as well. For the moment, the Wind God now choose to stand atop the Shodai's head looked out over the village for a moment before staring down at a specific point in the village.

The next thing Naruto and Hinata saw was their sensei slowly stepping off of the Shodai's head. They were about to react when they saw him simply mutter something under his breath and he floated down to the ground at a point in the village atop a visible carpet of air. Something strange was going on with their sensei that much they knew for sure. Rising, deciding to follow after him and see what was up, the two turned to see a woman cursing under her breath and staring after Sean. Curious about her connection to their sensei, the two Genin stepped over to her.

"Miss? Do you happen to know what's going on with Sean-sensei right now?" Hinata asked politely while she held tight to Naruto's hand. "That look in his eyes…something's not right. Please tell us if you know something."

Anko looked down at the two Genin and frowned. "Hey Naruto, umm…I'll just assume you're Hinata right? Anyways, I've been following Sean since the meeting we had and I have to admit, he's definitely acting strange. I figured I'd follow him and learn a bit more about what kind of person he is, but this just isn't normal. I'm actually kind of worried about him. Come on, we'd better get moving if we don't want to lose him. I saw where he dropped, we'll head on down and catch up to him before he disappears." Nodding in response, Hinata and Naruto followed after Anko. Their date had come to an interesting close and a mystery about their oddball Wind sensei now needed solving. As they ran along, Naruto found himself worrying more and more about Sean. _Please be okay Sean-sensei. This just doesn't feel right to me at all!_

**A/N: The decision made about Sasuke may not seem all that great and I KNOW it has to feel disappointing, but I do have a plan for that so relax okay? As for the strange situation with Sean, that will be explained as well as time goes on. The cause for his behavior might not be made clear in the next chapter, but I assure you that as time goes by in this fanfic, things will make more and more sense.**

**Just like with Chapter 4, I decided it was best to cut the chapter off at this point for a reason. It was getting a bit long and I figured that was a good cutoff point. Chapter 6 will pick up where this chapter left off, I assure you. In the meantime, I really hope that you all enjoyed this chapter.**

**Also, just so you know, this is the first time Anko and Sean have actually spent any time together in the story. They may have crossed each other's paths from time to time, but like I said, this is the first time they've spent any amount of time together. Yugao and Sean are acquaintances at best and have been since before the events in the story began. Genma and Sean are friends, as should be pretty obvious after reading this chapter.**

**Finally, I'm hoping I'll be able to send Team 8 on another mission in the next chapter. Whether or not the mission spans the length of 1 - 3 chapters really depends on how things play out. Despite how some things may seem at times in this fanfic, such as the apparent 'Sasuke-bashing' in Chapter 4, my writing really just flows from the many ideas that formulate in my mind. The way this story goes depends entirely on what ideas flow from my mind into my chapters. So, despite my hatred of Sasuke's character, I wouldn't let that affect my writing. Senseless bashing of characters just doesn't sit right with me and if it ever seems like I'm doing that with a character in my story, I apologize in advance. Anyways, thank you for reading everything. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 – A New Mystery & a Meeting between Jinchuriki**

After pushing themselves as fast as they could go, the group of three found themselves in a darker section of Konoha. This was where true scumbags resided, and at the moment a great many of them lay bloody and beaten on the ground. Finding one still conscious, the group of three quickly rushed over and knelt down beside her. "All right woman, tell us what the heck happened here. Did the Wind God do this to you?" Anko asked her.

Coughing and wheezing from what she assumed to be a collapsed lung, the girl laughed weakly and shook her head. "Damn guy saw us and attacked. We…we were m-minding our own d-d-damn bu-business and this guy dropped from the fucking sk-skies!" Forcing herself to sit up, the girl looked at the three and tried to make them out through her bleary vision. "F-Fuck it. I don't care who you are, just…just…do something…" And with that she passed out.

Sighing, Naruto shook his head and looked to Anko. "Might want to send a message to Jiji-sama. If Sean-sensei attacked these people, there's no telling what he might do. We might need Jiji's help to restrain him if he chooses to attack us too." Anko simply nodded and summoned a small snake to deliver a message to the Hokage for her before the three set off down the road again.

A short time later, they heard screaming coming from inside a rather packed bar before the streets were flooded with patrons fleeing the building. Entering the bar, their eyes widened when they felt an enormous amount of killing intent flooding the room. Naruto and Hinata quickly fell to their knees while Anko began to sweat. Slowly raising their heads, they watched as Sean threw a man into the far wall before disappearing and reappearing before him. "N-Not good…"

As Sean held the man against the wall, his hand crushing the man's skull slowly, he clutched his own face and shook his head violently. "Images…keep flashing in my mind. Doesn't happen often and they aren't usually so clear, but you…I see you quite clearly. Children…people I used to know…I don't remember their names, I can't see their faces clearly anymore, but you…" Lowering his hand from his face, Sean brought his knee up quickly and slammed it into his victim's chest, effectively slamming him through the wall and into the alleyway.

Stepping out after him, the Wind God watched as the wounded man before him tried to crawl away from him on his hands and knees. Muttering a few words under his breath and forming a few hand seals, a small dagger made of wind formed in his hand and he threw it, piercing the man's leg clean through and piercing him to the ground where he sat. "No, you don't get to run. You…You did something to people! Why can't I remember?! Whatever you did…it was bad. Really, really bad! I was so young then. I think they were precious to me. And you…you helped take them away! Tell me, where are they?! What happened to those people?!"

The man screamed shortly after emptying the contents of his stomach on the ground before him. "You…you fucking psycho! I knew they shouldn't have let you live 'Wind God'! You're like a fucking time bomb waiting to explode! Your family had to die. My group and I were paid real good money y'see? Ca-capture you…kill your family…you were supposed to be delivered to…to…oh fuck this hurts!" Reaching back, the man tried to grab hold of the wind dagger only to have his hand shredded down to the bone. Naturally, this caused him to scream out even more before he collapsed; his face landing in his own bile. "Fuck…fuck fuck fuck! You killed my men you sick fuck! A kid, barely seven years-old, killed all my men and crippled me! I was lucky you passed out, and now here you are finishing the job what? Sixteen years later? Just get it over with already you bastard!"

Sean slowly walked over and gripped his wind dagger in his hand, ripping it out of the man's leg before jamming it into his back. "I. Want. ANSWERS! What the hell are you talking about?! Why are these images flashing in my mind?! Who the hell am I _really_?! I can't remember! I know small things and that's it. I know I have some distant relatives out there, but I don't know who the hell they are. I know my reputation. I know my first name. I have friends, I have students, I'm a Jonin of Konohagakure, but I don't know _who I am_! Every month…every fucking month I get these flashes and I feel…I don't know what the hell I feel! But right now…I'm angry, I'm frustrated…but more than all that, I feel truly _lost_! I don't understand anything right now! I just keep seeing things. Nothing's making sense to me right now and **you have answers**! So talk goddamn it!" The Wind God reared his fist back, ready to slam it into the back of the guy's head.

Anko quickly grabbed Sean's hand and forced his arm back down to his side. When he looked up at her, the look in his eyes chilled her to the bone. Her fellow assistant sensei had tears streaming down his face, but it looked as if he couldn't truly see her right now. In fact, one could say he was simply looking right through her. It was obvious that he was lost at the moment, but that wasn't about to stop her, Naruto, or Hinata from trying to help him calm down from whatever was happening to him at the moment. "Seanie, calm down okay? Whatever's going on, maybe we should talk to Hokage-sama about it? If anyone might know something, I'm sure he will. And I can take this…this…well, 'man' I guess to see Ibiki. The two of us can extract information from him for you. You're not in your right mind right now Seanie-kun, so please, stop and sit here with us. Talk to us; tell us what's on your mind. The three of us will listen and help you in any way that we can!" The Snake Mistress pleaded with the guy she had been stalking for a good portion of the night.

Sean lowered his gaze and stared silently at the ground. The Wind God could feel hands on his arms and he could hear the voices of Anko, Naruto, and Hinata around him, but he couldn't truly focus on them right now. Looking over at the man that had recently fallen unconscious next to him in his own filth, Sean sighed and checked for a pulse. Sighing in relief, he found the man to still be alive. Turning slowly to where he heard the voices, Sean closed his eyes and let the images play out before his mind's eye.

"I…I see things on the same day every month. It's been this way for as long as I can remember. It happens at the same time on the same day every single month and I don't…I don't understand what it all means. I see myself…but I see people I don't recognize. I can't see their faces, but I can see things such as hair color, their clothing, even things like jewelry and accessories, things they might be carrying at the time. But I also see locations, places I don't recognize. When…when I start seeing these things, I always 'wake up' in a different place from where I was before I started seeing things. I think…I think I had sisters, two of them. Both younger than me. I don't know their names, and I don't know what they look like. I had friends too, people I spent time with. There was another Hokage then too. The Yondaime I think. I see him sometimes and somebody else too. I see so many things, but none of it makes sense. Then this guy flashed in my mind and I remembered…I remembered seeing him before while taking care of Naruto-kun one day!"

Naruto frowned as he took a closer look at the man his sensei and longtime friend had attacked. Suddenly it flashed into his mind and he scowled as he remembered. This man had instigated an attack on him back on his seventh birthday. He was a total scumbag and he didn't feel sorry for him in the slightest now that he remembered the crap he tried to pull that night. Quickly returning his gaze to his sensei, the blonde continued to listen carefully to his story.

Sean shook his head and felt more tears trickling down his face. "I see this man standing over me with so many people around us. My sisters and another woman lay dead behind me. So much blood…and I hear so much laughter. This man speaks words to me, but I don't hear them. Suddenly the anger consumes me and the people around us drop dead while I stare into his eyes. Yondaime-sama appears with ANBU and…two other people and stops me right as I attack this guy. Something happens, and suddenly everything goes dark again. Before I lose consciousness, I glance back and see my family. So much blood…"

Slowly opening his eyes, Sean sighed and began to quiver. "Those images keep flashing in my mind tonight. All I could think of was 'I have to get answers. Find him and I'll get my answers.'" Shaking his head, the Wind God lowered his head again and chuckled lowly to himself as the Sandaime and a small squadron of ANBU appeared in the alley with him. "It wasn't hard to find this guy again. His hangouts are well known and with a little torture, it was virtually certain I could make him talk. But I couldn't think…I couldn't think…"

The Sandaime walked over to Sean and knelt down beside him as he ordered the ANBU to take the downed man to get him patched up before taking him to T & I for Ibiki to question when he's ready. After they had gone, the Hokage placed a warm, gentle hand upon Sean's shoulder and smiled softly at him as Sean looked into his eyes. "Sean…it'll be okay, I promise. You four, come with me to my office and I'll try my best to explain things to you. You're not in any trouble Sean-kun, I promise. But…this is dangerous not only to yourself, but to those you care for. It's important that you hear me out." When he received nods from all four people around him, the third began guiding them slowly back to the Hokage Tower so they could talk.

_**Fifteen Minutes Later – Hokage's Office**_

After arriving back at his office, the Hokage took a seat behind his desk before ordering his guests to take a seat across from him. Shortly after, Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered his ANBU guardians to leave, all those except for Yugao Uzuki as she deserved to hear things as well. After all, they did concern her as well now that she would be spending more time with Sean. As soon as he was sure it was safe, Hiruzen put up privacy seals so they could talk without the fear of interruptions. Turning quickly to face the Hyuga girl, the Hokage smiled and inclined his head slightly to her. "Before we begin, I would like you to know that I sent someone to explain the situation to your father. Should he try and berate you upon your return home, feel free to let me know and I'll speak to him for you. I've heard how he treats you Hinata and I don't approve of it."

Upon seeing her smile, Hiruzen nodded again and quickly fumbled around in his desk for his pipe. When everything was set, he lit his pipe, took a few puffs, and began to speak. "Sean, why did you not inform me earlier about these flashbacks? The Yondaime was afraid this might occur and I was asked to help look after you should you experience anything like this. You see Sean…after certain events in the past, the Yondaime had certain Yamanakas assist him in putting a mental block on you to block out certain memories."

Sean snarled at the thought and stared darkly into Hiruzen's eyes. "Hokage-sama, why would he do that to me? What the hell happened that would warrant such a terrible thing?!" Upon feeling his hand being squeezed, Sean glanced to his side to see Anko smiling softly at him. "There must have been a reason Sean. Please calm down and listen before you make any judgments all right?" Sighing in resignation, the Wind God slowly nodded his head and turned back to face the Hokage.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Hiruzen shook his head and groaned. "I'm afraid I don't know the full story Sean-kun. Somebody powerful knew about you and the family that adopted you. Whoever this person is knows about who your parents were and obviously felt that turning you into a weapon for himself, or herself to use was a good idea. In fact, this person was so certain that you were worth the trouble that he managed to coerce some of our very own shinobi into capturing you and bringing you to him/her. Whatever your heritage Sean, you certainly attracted a lot of attention, even as a child. And before you ask, I personally don't know who your parents were. The Yondaime knew, and I'm sure your adopted family knew, but there's so much about you that was unknown even then. You see Sean, you were placed under the protection of Konoha two short years after you were born. We don't know if your parents are still alive or even if you have any siblings, nephews, nieces, etc. I've tried to look into it, but your file doesn't contain much data about your past. It's mostly filled with info about your life here in Konoha as one of our shinobi. One thing is known for a fact though: you weren't born in the Land of Fire."

Sean chuckled at this and nodded his head calmly. "That pretty much narrows down all the leads to just that jackass I attacked now doesn't it Hokage-sama?" Receiving a small nod in answer, Sean shook his head and closed his eyes again. "I don't get it. I've lost my fair share of battles, Kakashi and Guy are both beating me in our little game we play, I can't possibly hold a candle to you or your previous students…what the hell could there be about me that would warrant such a thing? I just don't understand any of this. These flashbacks…they cause such a massive headache the next day that it feels ten…no, make that a hundred times worse than a freaking hangover, and yet I find myself wanting to see _more_ every time. I know next to _nothing_ about who I truly am Hokage-sama."

Naruto shook his head and smiled kindly at his friend. "That's not exactly true Sean-sensei. Whether you realize it or not, you've shaped yourself into a truly wonderful person. You taught me and raised me well, you've guided me along and even helped give me a home. You care for your friends so fiercely that anybody would be lucky to have you consider them a friend. You're incredibly powerful, regardless of what you might think. Sure anybody that's decently skilled in fire jutsu could probably beat you if you can't counter them with your water jutsu, but that's beside the point. You're determined, you're confident, you believe in yourself and your abilities, but most importantly, you draw your strength from your desire to keep your friends and other loved ones safe. Plus, you're truly kind to people Sean-sensei. You might be incredibly strict and a tad on the psychotic side at times when it comes to your students, but you push us hard because you believe in us. You have a lot of love to give, and you have a lot of people that really care about you. _That's_ who you are Sean-sensei! You might not know anything about your past or even your last name, or even if you belong to a clan or not, but it **doesn't matter**! We know who you are Sean-sensei, and it's time you learned it as well!"

Hokage-sama nodded his head and took another few puffs of his pipe. "Naruto is correct Sean-kun. I believe these four around you know you and understand your pain far better than you might realize. Each of them knows their own loneliness and can relate to you quite easily. Naruto never knew either of his parents and grew up in a life of suffering and misery. Anko-chan is the former student of Orochimaru of the Sannin. Because of his actions, she's suffered and the villagers have treated her quite similarly to what Naruto went through growing up. Hinata-chan is constantly ridiculed and belittled by her clan. They claim she is undeserving of being the heiress to the clan and will only continue to let them down. She is an outcast in her own clan, her own _family_! And Yugao…"

Hiruzen sighed and shook his head. "You get my point, don't you Sean? You have people that both love and understand you. You, Anko, and Yugao may not know each other well, but it might be a good idea for the three of you to spend more time together just talking. Open up to each other, confide in one another about things that happen to be troubling you, do whatever it takes to feel better and unburden your mind. I promise you that I will continue to look into your past for you Sean, but in the meantime I think it's a good idea that we keep this chat to ourselves. Understand?"

Sean nodded while the others looked about ready to ask why. However, Sean soon raised his hand to silence them as he stared Hiruzen deep in his eyes. "You don't want this getting back to Danzo, Homura, and Koharu, correct Hokage-sama?" At the Hokage's nod, Sean grinned and found himself chuckling lightly. "Besides them, we don't want this information getting out to the wrong people. It's hard to know who can be trusted in the village after all. As for Danzo and your ex-teammates, it's easy to assume that even if they aren't directly involved with what happened to me back then, after hearing about my attack on those scumbags tonight, despite the criminals they are, the three of them could very easily stretch the truth to get what they want. They've never trusted me, nor have they ever liked me. With the influence they have over the people of this village, there's no telling what they could do." Sighing heavily, Sean lowered his gaze to the floor again and shook his head. "Just my luck, huh Hokage-sama?"

The Sandaime Hokage frowned and nodded his head. "That's exactly why we need to keep this amongst ourselves. That is also why I sent my ANBU guardians away. It's truly hard to tell who can be trusted with information such as this. After all, Naruto's secret got out easily enough when it was supposed to be an S-rank secret. The news spread like wildfire that he holds the Kyuubi inside of him. However the truth was distorted along the way and people began to truly believe that you, Naruto-kun, are the demon incarnate or some such thing. But, worse than that, Danzo continues to try and get his claws in you. Please, don't ask, it would only worry you. I just feel you should know that if the man ever approaches you that you should inform me or one of the sensei you trust _immediately_. He's getting bolder and it's becoming harder to trust him to follow my orders these days." Frowning at that, the Hokage deactivated the seals from earlier and waved his hand. "You are dismissed. All five of you." Glancing to Yugao, Hiruzen gave her a look and nodded his head. There was an unspoken message between them and Yugao immediately nodded in response. She understood perfectly what it was the Hokage wanted her to do.

Sean nodded and quickly left the room without saying a thing. His companions each nodded to the Hokage and said their farewells to him before rushing out of the room to follow after him. Alone in the room with the Hokage, Yugao smiled softly at him and nodded once more. "I'll watch over him Hokage-sama. I can see you're worried." With that said, Yugao shunshined out of the room to keep an eye on Sean from the shadows.

_**Outside the Hokage Tower – Seven minutes later**_

The Wind God frowned and shook his head with a small smile tugging at his lips. "You do realize that you three don't need to follow me right? I promise that I won't go killing anyone or destroying anymore buildings. Why don't you three go home and get some rest, huh? We're all meeting up at our individual training grounds again tomorrow and I believe Team 7 is going to be picking up a mission tomorrow." Shooting a look back at Hinata, the Wind God smirked and nodded his head. "I also believe your father is probably waiting for you by now. I can't imagine he'll be too happy if you stay out much longer."

Hinata sighed and shook her head. "I don't care Sean-sensei. Right now making sure you're okay is more important to us. Please don't send us away. Like Hokage-sama said, it's best if you let us in instead of trying to deal with everything on your own." Naruto nodded alongside her and frowned. "Even after all this time we've spent together, I still don't know all that much about you. I learn more about you every day. In fact, this time spent with you as my sensei these past months I've learned more about you than the years we've spent together. You don't open up to anybody, do you Sean-sensei?"

Sean sighed and walked with them for a while longer before he led them to one of the training grounds where he took a seat beside a small pond. The three of them quickly followed suit. For a good while they sat they waiting for him to speak, and when it seemed like he was never going to, Anko was about to speak up. "Sorry." Sean said quietly and the three of them turned to gaze at him curiously. "You're right. I should open up more. I really should. The problem is: what the heck am I supposed to say?"

Anko laughed a moment at that and shook her head. "You don't really have to say much. Just talk to us, open your heart to your friends Sean and bask in our company. Talk about your problems with us. Talk about what's on your mind. It doesn't matter. Just let the people that care about you in. Though I admit, I know the feeling. Don't tell anybody, but my life sucks too." Anko laughed a little more before she lowered her coat, revealing the curse seal to them. "Take a look. As the old man said, Orochimaru did this to me. The jerk abandoned me because apparently I'm some kind of failure. A lot of the villagers treat me like crap, some for different reasons than others, but you know what? Screw 'em. I don't care if they blame me for Orochimaru leaving or if they think I'm his damn spy or whatever the hell they want to think. The guy's a bastard."

Pulling her trench coat back up, she listened as Sean began to chuckle. Grinning widely at her accomplishment, she wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him in close. "See? Just let out your frustrations. Say whatever the hell you want to say and get this crap off your chest. We're your friends and we'll take care of you Seanie-boy!"

Sean blushed at the close contact with Anko and quickly squirmed out of her grip. Fighting down the furious blush on his face from being so close to her sizeable bosom, Sean nodded his head slowly and let a smile slowly form on his face. "Y-Yeah. I guess you're right. I know their story, and you at least spoke up a bit about your problems, so I appreciate that. Guess…I should vent a bit huh?" Rising from where he was sitting, Sean raised his hand and formed a wind sword in his hand again. With one quick motion, he swung his sword and sent a huge blast of wind that cut a deep gash into the land before him. The pond was literally split in two with the water slowly draining into the crack beneath the surface, and the land's wound continued on for as far as they could see. Angrily, he swung a few more times, creating longer gashes into the earth with each swing.

Finally Sean threw the sword into a tree nearby without looking and smirked slightly. "You can come out now Yugao-san. No need to hide, I'm not going to do anything." When she shunshined over to the group, Sean let out a soft sigh and shook his head. "I hope you and Ibiki can extract all the damn information you can from that bastard Anko-chan. Anything, any damn clues he might be able to provide I'll be grateful for. Being a fucking amnesiac pisses me off. Hell, why block my memories to begin with?! It's not like I knew anything before…right…?" Blinking a few times, Sean fell on his butt and held his head in his hands. "Hell, I'm not even sure if I can make that claim at all. Maybe I _did_ know something, but there's no way to know for sure. It's just so infuriating that I can't remember anything! I don't have any direct family right now, at least not that I know of, but just knowing that my parents might be alive and actually out there somewhere…heh. I'm 23 freaking years old right now for Kami's sake! You'd think they might actually care enough about their SON to come and see me just ONCE! And what about those other relatives I know I have out there? Don't…any of them care?" Bringing his knees up to his chest, the Wind God buried his face into the space between his knees and just let his tears flow. "None of this makes any damn sense."

The four around him looked at each other then and decided that until Sean was ready to go home and rest that they would spend as much time with him as needed. Despite how tough he usually was and how confident he appeared to be most of the time, this was a side of him that **nobody** ever expected to see. For a long while, the four just talked with him and did their best to make him smile again.

_**Two Days Later – Hokage's Office – Team 8**_

As Team 8 stood in front of the Hokage, Naruto found himself thinking about his longtime friend, the Wind God of Konoha. Just yesterday he and the rest of Team 7 left on a C-rank mission and were expected to be gone for at least four days. What the mission was, he wasn't informed of, but he found himself wondering how Sean was currently doing. Naruto, Hinata, Yugao, and Anko had spent hours with Sean just talking about whatever came to mind. Sean had finally calmed down after a time and by the time everyone got home, it was near midnight. The blonde immediately fell upon his bed at that point and thought about the events of that day.

Meeting Anko, his date with Hinata, Sean-sensei's assault on that man, learning what he did about Sean from the Hokage, and then spending the rest of the night with Hinata and three of the assistant sensei had reallyworn him out. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep. The next day he spent doing a few D-rank missions with his team and training as they so often did when they were together. Poor Kiba had so many bruises by now and yet he still seemed so full of energy. It was amazing to see him now. Though Naruto got the distinct impression that his best friend was actually extremely tired despite how he was behaving.

Focusing himself back on the discussion at hand, Naruto quickly picked up on what was being said. "…and thus you're going to travel to Takigakure and assist their ninja in hunting down and dealing with some missing-nin from our village. They're a disgrace to Konohagakure shinobi and because of them relations with Takigakure are strained at the moment. They have been for a little over two months now. Here's the file. You leave in fifteen minutes so prepare, say good-bye to your families, whatever. Just get this done." Team 8 nodded and they immediately dispersed to go home and get their things. From the sounds of it, it was going to be a hectic mission.

_**Meanwhile, with Team 7 – the Land of Waves**_

"You have to be kidding me. How can these guys be in trouble again already?" Sean grumbled as they approached the Great Naruto Bridge. Shaking his head, the group began walking across the bridge, but not even halfway across they encountered a problem. "Tch, bandits. This isn't some fucking toll bridge. Do everybody a favor and get lost before you lose your damn lives." Sean stated as he folded his arms before his chest.

Kakashi sighed and brought a hand to his face. _Same old Sean, always has to antagonize the enemy. Like these idiots will actually listen to him._ He thought quietly to himself. Glancing at his Genin students, he motioned for them to step forward. "All right team, show them what you've got. Sean and I will be observing you, so make us proud."

The leader of the bandits stepped forward and pointed at the Genin of Team 7 before looking at the two adults of the group. "What the hell's wrong with you two? Ye're sendin' kids against us? Don't you know who the hell we are?!"

Kakashi simply rubbed a pinky finger in his ear and yawned. "Huh? I didn't catch that tough guy. Whatever you said, it doesn't really matter. My Genin are more than enough to deal with lowlife bandits like you. It shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes for them to finish you all off and then we can be on our way. In the meantime, I think I'm going to read for a while." And with that, the silver-haired Jonin reached into his pouch and retrieved his beloved Icha Icha book. Flipping it open to where he last left off, Kakashi waved to his Genin and walked over to lean against the railing of the bridge so he could read without interruptions.

At this, Sean sighed and shook his head. "I'd say something about that 'damn book' of yours, but the fact of the matter is I happen to be a fan of the series too. Probably not for the same reason you are though. Jiraiya-sama's actually a surprisingly talented author." Reaching into a small bag attached to his hip, the Wind God pulled out his own copy and flipped it to the first page of chapter 1. "I've been pretty busy so I haven't even gotten around to reading the first chapter. Don't go spoiling anything for me Kakashi." Smirking, he walked to the other side of the bridge and leaned over the railing so he could read as well.

At their sensei's antics, the three Genin could only sweatdrop for a moment before they turned and faced their foes. "It looks like there's about seven for each of us. Hinata-san, Shino-san, let's try to finish this up in the time limit presented by our dear sensei alright?" Haku asked with a smile. When her teammates nodded and responded with a "Yes!" they each faced their own opponents and began to fight.

_**Back with Team 8, thirty minutes from Konoha**_

"Naruto, I swear you attract trouble to us somehow. I don't care if you mean to or not, this is just plain ridiculous!" Sakura shouted at her teammate. She had been so much nicer to him as of late, but that didn't mean she didn't still yell at him from time to time. Especially when it came to situations such as these.

A short time ago, approximately four minutes at the most, Naruto had accidentally stumbled upon a small group of missing-nin from Kiri when he went to relieve himself behind some bushes. In the process, he overheard their plans for ransacking a nearby village before they continued on their way to Sunagakure. Sadly, upon hearing this, Naruto stepped on a twig and grimaced as it snapped. Soon, four missing-nin appeared around him, each one shooting him a deadly glare.

And now that brings us to Team 8's current predicament. The blonde knucklehead had blasted them away with a wind jutsu taught to him by Sean before rushing to his team and informing them of the situation. Now they were facing off against the four Kiri shinobi in what turned out to be a rather difficult battle despite how advanced they were in their abilities.

Currently, Naruto and Kiba were facing two brothers together, Kurenai and Sakura were battling the sole kunoichi of the group, and Anko was battling what seemed to be the leader of the group on her own. "Well, this is quite the pickle you've landed us in this time Naruto. However, I have to say that it's a good thing we encountered this group when we did. If it's truly as you say and they planned to ransack a village within the Land of Fire then it's our duty as Konoha shinobi to deal with them before they do." Kurenai stated calmly as she defended herself against her enemy's assault while Sakura tried to attack the woman from behind.

Meanwhile, Kiba and Naruto were recovering from a series of powerful blows delivered to them courtesy of the brothers before them. Grumbling to himself, Naruto wiped some blood from his mouth and shot a nasty glare at the men. "You jerks are gonna pay for that. Ready Kiba?!" Receiving a nod from Kiba, Naruto immediately focused his chakra and swung his arm forward in a wide arc. "**Jūha Shō (Beast Tearing Palm)**!"

The more muscular brother tried to dodge out of the way, but his body was shredded and he let out a terrible scream while his brother had barely managed to escape the attack. It didn't seem to matter though as Kiba was ready for that. Appearing at the man's side, Kiba punched him to the ground and quickly went through a series of hand seals before slamming his hand to the ground. "**Doton: Doryūsō**!" As quickly as he said it, a series of earth spears shot up underneath the duo and pierced them both in numerous locations. "Naruto, did we get 'em?!" Kiba shouted at his friend.

Naruto frowned and shook his head. "They're wounded, but they're not done yet. Be prepared Kiba." When Kiba nodded, he was soon slammed in the side by a huge ball of rock connected to a chain that appeared to be in the hands of the more muscular brother. Wincing at that, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief when Kiba simply turned to mud and dropped to the ground. "Good, just a **Doro Bunshin (Mud Clone)**. Don't scare me like that Kiba!" Naruto shouted as he dodged a spear wielded by the thinner brother with ease.

Kiba chuckled as he came out from behind a tree. "Heh heh, sorry about that one Naruto. Can't be too careful right?" Receiving a nod from Naruto, the Inuzuka heir turned to his opponent and cracked his knuckles. "You want to test your strength against mine? Well that's fine with me. **Shikyaku no Jutsu**! **Tsuga**!" Rotating violently, Kiba slammed into the man's Doton weapon and tested his power against his opponent's. At first it appeared to be equal, at least until Akamaru joined in and hit the man from the side with a Tsuga of his own. As soon as the weapon was out of the way, Kiba continued with his attack and tore into the man's chest with his attack, thus finishing him off. When he finished, Kiba collapsed on his butt and breathed heavily. "I swear, this damn gravity seals really wear a guy down."

Meanwhile, with Naruto, he finally had enough of his enemy trying to turn him into a Naruto shish kebab and gripped the shaft of the spear tightly, snapping it with brute strength. "There, that takes care of that thing. Now, how about I show you a nice little technique and you can rest in hell with your brother all right?" Naruto smirked as his opponent looked over at his downed brother. Taking that opportunity, the blonde boy formed a Rasengan in his hand and slammed it violently into the younger brother's chest as hard as he could. Watching as he went spiraling into a tree and listening as he screamed out in tremendous pain, Naruto winced and began to laugh softly. "And that is that my friends. Hey Kiba, you all right?!"

_**Anko**_

"**Sen'eijashu (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)**!" Anko shouted as she sent numerous snakes at her opponent from both sleeves of her trench coat. As this happened, her opponent's eyes went wide and he began to shiver. Quirking an eyebrow at this, the Snake Mistress was generally surprised when he didn't move and her snakes easily bit into the guy's neck. When the man collapsed, she frowned and shook her head, recalling her snakes back to her before she walked over and kicked him. "Okay, that was pathetic. A shinobi afraid of snakes to the point he froze and allowed himself to be killed far too easily. I'm…disappointed." Sighing, the Snake Mistress turned to see the Genjutsu Mistress and her student finishing off their last opponent. _I wonder how Sean's doing right now. I haven't seen the poor guy since the other night._

Frowning, she shook the thoughts from her head and shrugged her shoulders. Looking to the missing-nin, the beautiful Snake Mistress and Kurenai removed their heads and sealed them in scrolls for later when they returned to Konoha. "All right team, let's head out. Hopefully we can make it to our destination before nightfall, but if not I'm sure they'll understand. Especially if we explain to them we were attacking by some idiots from Kiri." Anko chuckled a moment before they all nodded and set off once more.

_**With Team 7**_

"Well Tazuna-san, it looks like everything's been settled again. I feel I should make a suggestion though." Kakashi stated as he looked the elderly man in the eyes. "You might want to invest in hiring some more permanent protection for your village. We won't always be able to come around and save you I'm afraid."

Tazuna nodded with a sigh and shook his head. "I'm working on it. For some damn reason the villagers are coming to me for help with making important decisions and crap, and I guess it's time I put my foot down and get things settled before we're harassed again. Thank you again Team 7, I truly appreciate all your help. And when you get back to Konoha, mind giving Naruto-kun our best wishes? Tsunami and Inari really miss him."

Chuckling softly to themselves, the team nodded and decided to go to their rooms for the night. "We'll leave early in the morning. It would be good to get back to Konoha so we can resume your training." Sean said with a look of glee in his eyes. Shivering at the implications of such a thing, the Genin of Team 7 quickly scampered off to their rooms. As soon as they were gone, the two senseis shared a laugh at their expense before making way to their shared room for the night.

_**Takigakure – Team 8 – 10:00 PM**_

Upon finally arriving at their destination, the members of Team 8 were currently attempting to catch their breath as three people approached them to greet them. Rising to meet them formally, Anko and Kurenai bowed respectfully as their Genin did the same. Soon enough the group was led to where they would be spending the night: a pretty fancy looking inn of sorts. Shrugging their shoulders, Anko and Kurenai instructed the Genin to enter and find out which rooms were theirs.

As soon as the Genin were out of sight, the two senseis turned and looked into the eyes of the man in front. "Okay, now that the Genin are out of earshot, why not tell us what the general plan of action is and who's coming with us? We'd like to begin the hunt early if we can, as well as get to know what we can about whoever we'll be working with." Anko stated somewhat forcefully.

The man simply nodded calmly and spoke with an authoritative tone. "We will be sending one of our young Genin with you. I assure you that she is more than capable and will be a great help to you. It will also do both her…and _us_ some good to get her out of the village for a time. I promise that you'll meet her in the morning. We'll send her to meet you at the crack of dawn. Good night ladies and do be well." The man smirked and soon turned and walked away with his companions.

Kurenai sighed and looked into Anko's eyes. The two of them shared a knowing nod and stepped inside where the Genin were waiting. "Well, it seems we've got good news and bad news Gakis. Good news: they're staying out of our hair for the most part. They're only sending one of their Genin along, but something tells me there's more to the story than what little they told us about her. Bad news: these people don't trust us one bit. There's no telling what they may pull, so while we're hunting down these bastards that are ruining Konoha's good name, we'll have to be careful. All right Gakis?" Anko explained. When they all agreed and proclaimed that they understood perfectly, Team 8 set off to get some rest for the night.

_**Early the next morning – Inn's Lobby**_

While Team 8 sat in the lobby eating what breakfast they could, they each discussed the mission and what they should be expecting. After a time of actually being quiet, _mostly_, Naruto decided to pipe in with his thoughts on the matter. "You know guys, this could just be a trap. This person they're sending with us? We don't know anything about her. It could be a possibility that they're sending her along to assassinate us either before or after we've dealt with the rogue ninja. Knowledge is power, especially in situations such as these. At least that's what Sean-sensei taught me. The lack of knowledge on this mission is frightful."

Going back to quietly eating his breakfast, Naruto closed his eyes and listened to his team converse some more about both the mission and whatever came to mind. He was just too tired to truly focus on their conversation at the moment. After all, who the hell has to wake up at 4:00 in the flipping morning?! _Ugh, that's right. It's not the earliest I've had to wake up before. Sean-sensei used to wake me up at random times back then. An hour of sleep here, three hours there…he was preparing me for these kinds of situations. Still doesn't mean I have to like it._

As Naruto was lost to his thoughts, a young, thirteen year-old woman with a tanned complexion, green hair, and dark orange eyes stepped into the lobby and looked around for a moment before her gaze settled on the team she was to be assisting. Grumbling about having to work with a bunch of brats, despite being their age, the young woman made her way to the group and bowed politely before them. "You must be the team from Konoha. My name is Fū and I am the Genin that has been assigned to assist you. Since you've taken the opportunity to eat breakfast, I'm going to assume we can begin?"

Naruto looked the girl over a couple of times and frowned. There was something familiar about her, but he just couldn't put his finger on what that was. Noticing her glaring at him, the blonde quickly waved his hands defensively. "Hey, hey! Don't get the wrong idea Fū-san, I just…you seem familiar is all. I've never met you before, so I can't say why, but it's weird. Sorry, I don't mean to offend you in any way. Have you eaten breakfast?"

Fū sighed softly and nodded her head. "Yes, I've had my breakfast and I'm fully prepared for this mission. No, there won't be anyone else assisting us. And yes, you seem kind of familiar to me too, but like you I can't quite put my finger on it. Now, if you are all prepared, I can lead you to where the enemy was last spotted. I'd like to get this all over with if that's alright with you?" Without allowing them to say a word, the young lass turned and left the lobby.

Sakura frowned and looked towards both of her senseis before turning to Naruto. "What was all that about? She's just a kid. And that attitude of hers…" Looking closer at Naruto, she could see a thoughtful look in his eyes and frowned as she reached over and gently gripped his hand. "Naruto? What's wrong?"

Naruto frowned and shook his head. "I honestly don't know. But I don't think she's meant to assassinate us. She seems almost…sad. There's just something about her that feels…" Sighing heavily, the blonde shook his head and rose from his chair. "Forget it. Let's just follow her and get this mission over with. Maybe we'll figure out what her deal is later. I just can't shake this feeling…" Gently squeezing Sakura's hand for a moment, Naruto released her and left the table to follow after Fū.

Looking to the rest of Team 8, Sakura frowned a moment before they followed after their teammate. _Something weird's going on. This whole mission just _screams_ weird! Naruto, I hope whatever's troubling you won't bother you for long. I hope we'll all be okay…_

_**Moments Later – A Small Cave outside the Village**_

"All right boys, looks like we got ourselves some of that Hero Water we heard so much about. Might not be much, but with this we shouldn't have any problems pulling off our plan. Right?!" The leader of the five missing-nin shouted to his comrades. When all but one cheered, the leader turned and shot a nasty glare his way. "And why the hell aren't you excited woman?! Doesn't anything get you pumped up?! Ever since you joined us all those years ago, you haven't shown any damn emotion for anything. You're starting to piss me off."

The woman simply stared blankly at him and shrugged her shoulders. "Two bottles of Hero Water, small ones at that, is nothing to be excited about. Besides, from what I've heard about the side effects of using such a thing, I'm just not interested. I've helped you thus far because you've been mildly entertaining to me, but this particular plan is beyond stupid, even for you." When the man snarled and threw a punch her way, the woman lifted a finger and shot a small bullet of water into his fist, causing him to reel back and scream out as the pain shot up his arm. "Don't try that again. There's a reason I've followed you, and it's not just because I've found you somewhat entertaining. I doubt you even realize that you've been found out by Taki's own shinobi force do you? Of course not. I'm done with you four. Good-bye."

The leader growled angrily and gripped her shoulder tight with his good hand when she tried to walk away. "Where the hell do you think you're going?! You're going to help us get out of her damn it! I haven't given you permission to leave yet!" When his hand started to boil, he screamed out again and quickly removed it before the skin could melt right off. "Fuck! You've never acted like this before! What the hell is going on with you today huh?!"

The woman sighed and shook her head as she resumed walking away from the small group of four. "I don't answer to you and you certainly _don't_ control me. If you know what's good for you, the four of you will flee before the six outside this cave decide to kill you. Believe me, I'd _help_ them. Fools like you deserve what's coming."

With that, the woman ventured outside of the cave and looked at the four Genin and two Jonin women before her. "Don't give me that look. If you want those four idiots, go ahead and take them. But you…" Looking down at the boy with the blonde hair, the woman knelt down and smiled softly at him. "Tell me, how's my cousin doing little one?"

Naruto blinked a few times and tried to figure out just who this woman was talking about. She had long, flowing blue hair and light green eyes. She was also incredibly tall, standing at about five feet, eleven inches, towering over him and the others in his group. Looking into her eyes, Naruto felt a sense of familiarity in her. "Who are you talking about Lady? Who are you?"

The woman simply smiled and ruffled his hair. "Why Sean of course. My little cousin. He'd be about 23 years-old now right? About four years younger than me. I can only imagine the kind of man he's grown up to be by now. Ah, wait…you asked who I am right little guy? My name is Jima, but a lot know me by my nickname: Mizuno Megumi (Water's Grace) or something like that. Not sure who the hell came up with a name like that, but it had to have been somebody that's seen me in action before. I've heard the nickname given to little cuz. Wind God right? I have to admit, with all he should be able to do I'm kind of amazed that's what people call him nowadays. Ah well, I'm getting off topic. Sean's well right? I have to admit that I'd love to see him again, but I've been awfully busy. I doubt he even knows who I am." Sighing heavily, the woman closed her eyes and tried to imagine what her cousin looked like these days. Sadly, without having seen him in so long, she just couldn't get a good image in her mind.

The team from Konoha blinked a few times and Sean immediately looked to Anko. The two shared a nod and the blonde quickly turned and placed a hand on Jima's shoulder. "Sean-sensei doesn't know anyone that he's related to. He's been so certain that he has living relatives out there, you're now proof of that. But…he's troubled Jima-san. I'm afraid I can't say much, but if you'd return to Konoha with us, I'm sure he'd be glad to see you."

The woman shook her head and frowned. "I'm afraid I can't." Anko stepped forward at this point and grabbed the woman by the collar of her shirt. "Why the hell not?! Your cousin's not doing well! His mind's a complete fucking mess and meeting you might actually help with that! So what the hell is wrong with you?! Why can't you come and at least say 'Hi Sean, it's good to see you.' Or something simple like that, huh?!"

Jima chuckled and softly shook her head from left to right before releasing herself from the snake lady's grip. "I can't because I'm looking for his parents. My aunt and uncle. I've been searching for them for over ten years now and haven't found even one clue as to where they might be. If they were dead, I'm sure I would've heard about it. Still, you can let little cousin know I said hi if you want, I don't care. Just so long as he's alive and well, that's good with me."

When the woman simply offered a smile and tried to walk off, both Anko and Naruto grabbed her by her wrists and glared into her face. Sighing heavily, she shot a glare at them both. "Let me go." "No! Didn't you hear us?! Sean/Sean-sensei isn't well damn it!" Again, Jima sighed and shook her head. "I can't…" "Yes you can!" Naruto yelled at her. Before he could say more however, the group of four Konoha missing-nin stepped out of the cave and pointed at Jima. Angry at this turn of events, the woman known as Water's Grace turned and glared at them angrily.

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Damn it! Let's just deal with these idiots and then I'm going to kick your ass and drag you back to Konoha so you can see your cousin! Sean-sensei's lonely! For crying out loud, you can put off your search for a little while to spend at least _some_ time with him!" The blonde ninja shouted before he turned and glared hatefully at the jerks that decided to not only slander Konoha's name, but also chose to interrupt when he was trying to convince Jima to return to Konoha for a time.

Without even letting them speak, Naruto formed two Rasengans in the palms of both hands and snarled at them before focusing chakra to the bottom of his feet. Disappearing from view a second later, Naruto reappeared and slammed both Rasengans into the chest and stomach of the leader, sending him back into the cave where all that could be heard was his screams of agony. Glaring at the others, Naruto shouted out to Jima. "Jima, after you and I deal with these idiots, you and I are going to settle this!"

While Naruto and Jima battled the Konoha missing-nin, the others stood back and just watched. Kurenai and Anko were amused while the three Genin just stared in amazement at the scene unfolding before them. What should have been a tough fight, especially considering the enemy had stolen _two_ bottles of Hero Water, was quickly turned into nothing more than a joke as two very pissed off individuals tore into them, letting their frustrations out on the enemy. All the while, the two continued to bicker back and forth.

"Umm…Kurenai-sensei? What the hell is going on? Fū-san warned us about the Hero Water, but it looks like it doesn't even matter. The enemy isn't even using it. In fact, it looks like we won't even get to fight. So…what do we do?" Sakura asked cautiously as she watched Naruto and Jima intently. Here they had just met the first of Sean's supposed relatives and it suddenly turned into some insane competition between her blonde-haired teammate and this strange woman that showed a strange mastery over water. In fact, she reminded her of Sean, only with water instead of wind.

Meanwhile, Fū was simply trying to figure out just what was going on. These people were so strange to her and the power and energy that the little blonde boy possessed was incredible to her. She had never seen him before, and yet he intrigued her greatly. Ever since seeing him back at the inn, the green-haired lass had been trying to figure out why he seemed so familiar. _Wait…he can't possibly contain one of __**those**__ can he? He sure doesn't act like one. He has friends; his team genuinely seems to like him..._ Sighing to herself, Fū shook her head of the thoughts and silently laughed the thought off. _It can't be. I must just be imagining things. Blondie's just another oddball like some of those other idiots._

_**Seven Minutes Later**_

The enemy had eventually managed to drink their bottles of Hero Water, but with how angry the duo was, even that hadn't helped them much. Naruto was a little banged up, but both he and Jima defeated their enemies and now were facing each other, glaring each other down. "Give up already damn it! I'm not going back to Konoha with you! Sean can handle himself. I have more important things to take care of! Can't you see that you little brat?!"

"No damn it! Sean-sensei's my oldest friend! He's already helped me so much and I refuse to let you go when Sean-sensei _needs_ to see you! Please, just stop being so stubborn and come back with us. I'm not saying you have to give up your search, but just spend **some** time with your cousin! If I have to beat you up and drag you back there with me, I'll do it!" Naruto retorted, already forming the sign for the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.

"Fine kid, you're asking for it. **Mizu Bunshin no...**!" She was interrupted when the group suddenly saw themselves surrounded by Takigakure shinobi. Sighing, she looked to Naruto and nodded. "Okay, fine, we'll put this off for now so we can deal with this. Don't die Gaki." Naruto nodded and shook his head. "Same goes for you ya grumpy old lady." That comment caused Jima's left eyebrow to twitch dangerously.

One of the Taki shinobi stepped forward and glared hatefully at the group. "Was it really, _really_ too much to ask for the demon to die for once? Why do you think we sent you on this mission?!" Naruto quirked an eyebrow, as did his teammates. Soon, the blonde stepped forward right as Fū was about to retort. "What the hell are you talking about? Why would you want to see me die? For that matter, how would you people even know about me?"

The group of 22 Taki shinobi looked at him curiously and shook their heads before pointing directly at Fū. "What the hell are you talking about kid? You people were just supposed to be collateral damage. The demon bitch over there is who I was talking about. We've been trying to figure out how to get rid of her for years now! This was the perfect chance. Why do you think we let those idiots run off with some of our Hero Water?! We made a deal with them. We'd give them the power they needed to do whatever the hell it was they had planned and they'd kill the demon bitch for us. Guess Konoha shinobi really can't get anything right."

Fū and Naruto quickly spared a glance at one another and their thoughts practically mirrored each other. _We _are_ the same, aren't we?!_ Naruto offered her a kind smile before looking back at their enemies. Fū meanwhile continued to stare at the blonde-haired young man and shook her head. _The way he acted…I wonder which one he has in him? Why isn't he the same as me though? Aren't Jinchuriki treated badly everywhere?_

Naruto soon stepped forward and pointed his finger at each of the Taki shinobi. "I don't care who you all are. Fū-san is one of you, she's a member of your village and one of your kunoichi! Treating her like this just goes to show there are truly monsters everywhere, no matter how hard they try to hide. And don't you dare try to use my words against me and point at her! You're the damn monsters here and Fū-san and I are gonna take you all out dammit! As the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, it's time to show you why you don't piss people like us off!" Putting his fingers together in a cross shape, the Konoha Jinchuriki grinned and shouted out: "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" and prepared to do battle with the people that chose to piss him off.

**A/N: This doesn't exactly feel like the greatest chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it anyways. Yes, I introduced Fu and Sean's first family member, though I don't know yet if I'll have her return to Konoha with the group. As for my plans with Fu, you'll just have to wait and see now won't you? I hope the things revealed about Sean in this chapter at least helped to show his troubles and just what kind of person he really is. Sean has troubles just like anybody else, and certain characters in the series can easily relate to him. His cousin might also come off as a bitch, but she has her reasons for not wanting to return to Konoha with them, I can assure you of that.**

**Now, keep in mind that the harems are still mostly undecided and whatnot. You can continue to suggest what you want for missions and the like and even who you would like to see in the harems, that's all fine with me. I might not get Chapter 7 out for a little while however. I've come down with something and I really feel like crap. It was hard as heck to get my mind working enough just to finish up this chapter after I got sick. Sooo I hope you don't mind a little bit of a wait.**

**I would also like to apologize if you would like to see more of Sean or the other teams. Until the Chunin Exams roll around, Sean isn't going to be playing a big part in the story and the abilities of the other teams won't really be shown off until then either. If you would like to see more, please let me know. If enough of you request to see some of their missions or more of certain characters before the Chunin Exams, I'll see what I can do okay? For right now, I'm barely able to even concentrate and I really need to get some rest. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 – Family Meeting & Miscellaneous Encounters**

Fifteen clones of Naruto filled the area and the original let them begin the fight while he turned to Fu and smirked. "I'm not sure what you're capable of, but I know the pains of being a Jinchuriki. It's not an easy life, but…my friends helped me through while it seems like you have no one. Am I right?" When Fu simply nodded quietly, the blonde smiled softly at her and nodded. "We'll talk more later. For now, join me in destroying these jerks. We're well within our right to defend ourselves, so if Taki decides to pull something similar to what Sean-sensei told me Kumogakure did after they tried to take Hinata-chan away…welllll…I'm sure they won't have the same kind of luck. After all, they're the ones to blame here."

Smirking wickedly, Naruto turned to see that a few of his clones had already dispelled. Thinking over what had finished them off, the blonde smirked. "I see. So that's what happened. All right then, I wonder how they'll handle this?" Biting into his thumb enough to draw blood, the young ninja went through the hand seals required for the Kuchiyose no Jutsu. Upon finishing, he slammed the palm of his right hand to the ground and shouted out the technique.

Almost instantly, a large poof of smoke appeared and everyone around looked on in awe as they tried to determine what would appear. Once it finally cleared, Naruto was seen standing atop a giant wind dragon. The beast itself was so large that it towered over the trees in the area. Looking down at the Takigakure ninja for a moment, the beast let out a small gale of wind that swept numerous people off their feet before he glanced up at Naruto. "Why have you summoned me boy? Where the hell is Sean-sama?"

Naruto grumbled and stomped his foot on the dragon's head. "Hey! Why do you always have to treat me like that Ryuzaki?! Sean-sensei allowed me to sign the Wind Beast contract and the others have acknowledged me as their summoner already! Even your boss has said I'm worthy! So why the hell do you still treat me like this?!"

Naruto's teammates stared up at the beast and then looked at each other curiously. The first one to say anything was Kiba. "Since when can Naruto **summon** something?! And a huge ass wind monster at that?!" The others just shrugged, but two girls, Fu and Sakura, looked on in awe. _Naruto, you are truly amazing. I hope you know that._ Sakura thought, an excited gleam in her eyes at the prospect of learning how to summon such a creature someday.

Upon hearing Dog Boy's comment, the dragon, now known as Ryuzaki, lowered its head until it could stare Kiba in the eye. "Boy, you'd do well to be _quiet_. I am not a 'monster'; I am the advisor to the great king of the Wind Beasts. I am Ryuzaki, the Wind Dragon! And you!" Glancing back up at Naruto, Ryuzaki huffed, though this act sent Naruto's team plus Fu tumbling along the ground again. "The only summoner I've _ever_ liked is Sean-sama. Why he let a little punk like you sign the contract is beyond me. But enough, it looks like your enemies are regrouping. What would you like me to do oh great and powerful 'Naruto-sama'?" The great Wind Dragon asked, sarcasm dripping from every word.

Grumbling at the blatant disrespect for his own summoner, Naruto decided to take what he could get and pointed at the enemies. "I said I'd let Fu-chan fight with me so we could show them what two Jinchuriki could do, but three of those shinobi are too dangerous to risk confronting without some kind of plan or something. But, I figured they wouldn't stand a chance against the almighty Ryuzaki. Whaddya say? Mind just taking out all the baddies down there? Please don't harm the Konoha shinobi and the girl with the mint green hair okay? They're my friends. Oh! And the chick with blue hair. She's the cousin of Sean-sensei, so don't hurt her either. Though you could knock her out if you wanted. It'd make dragging her butt back to Konoha to see her cousin a LOT easier and I'd _reaaaaally_ appreciate it Ryuzaki-san."

Hearing this, Jima began shaking violently. "You little prick! Ugh! Fine, fine! If it'll make you happy, I'll come willingly. I'm not about to fight Ryuzaki-sama just to prove a fucking point." Huffing, Jima walked over to join Fu and Team 8 and went to the sidelines. Leaning against a tree, she closed her eyes and frowned. "That kid sure is stubborn isn't he? I'm…afraid to see him again. I don't want to confront Sean yet…"

Kurenai put a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder while Naruto's summon began decimating the enemy shinobi. "Sean will be happy to see you. Despite what you may be thinking, he is a very kind man. Strict, stubborn, slightly crazy…but he's a good man. Hell, I've heard rumors of crushes on him here and there throughout the village. Umm, anyways, I'm sure you'll get along real well with him. You're family, and I'm sure your meeting will go really well. If you need, we'll gladly stand with you if you happen to be nervous about meeting him alone."

Jima shook her head and sighed again. "You're…absolutely sure he won't hate me for leaving him alone for so long?" When all she met was smiles, the water specialist smiled softly and shook her head. "I've missed him. My mother wanted to retrieve Sean and bring him home with us since his own parents couldn't take care of him, but Father forbid it."

At this, Team 8 frowned and looked at her curiously. Anko spoke up with a serious tone in her voice. "Why would your father do something like that? Family should stick together. Sean's pain…I understand it so well. Not having any family to be with, it hurts. Your father shouldn't have forbade something like that!"

Jima shook her head and frowned. "Even now I don't understand it, but apparently there's something about my cousin that warrants caution. That, and Father said it was for Sean's safety. Don't ask. As I said, I don't understand even now. Sadly, Father died three years ago so I can't get any answers from him now. Mother's off in Lightning Country searching for clues on the whereabouts of more of our family. My mission, as stated before, is in finding Sean's parents. All this time and I still haven't found any damn leads. I doubt my cousin will be happy to hear that piece of news."

Naruto approached at that point and shrugged. "Maybe, but Sean-sensei's an understanding person. You'll find that out when you meet him. Now…" Turning to Fu, the blonde boy gently grasped her hand and smiled at her. "Which of the Bijuu to you possess Fu-chan? I think I mentioned it before, but just in case: I am Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. It's great to meet you Fu-chan." Bowing to her, Naruto chuckled at the expression on his fellow Jinchuriki's face. "Oh calm down. I'm being respectful. I know you probably don't get treated with respect often, but in Konoha you'll probably get a lot of respect and make a lot of friends. So long as they don't find out about you being a Jinchuriki of course, then you're good."

Fu blinked a few times and opened her mouth to speak a few times, but could never find the words to speak. When she realized that Naruto was still holding her hand, a slight blush crept upon her face. Quickly retracting her hand from his grip, she held her hands at her side and stared hard at him. "You're…different from what I'd expect from a fellow Jinchuriki Naruto-san. To answer your question, I hold the Nanabi. And…if you're inviting me to come with you to Konoha…I don't know if I should…"

Naruto quickly shook his head and put both hands on her shoulders, making her blush further. "Fu-chan, you're not appreciated in Taki. They just tried to ASSASSINATE you. You're obviously not safe her. And…if you still need convincing, there are a lot of nice people in Konohagakure. I can also get you citizenship there pretty easily. The Hokage, he's like my Jiji. If I talk to him, he'll help you out for sure dattebayo! While it's true that the people of Konoha aren't exactly nice to me, they're nice to pretty much everybody else. They all get along pretty well from what I've seen and heard. Yeah, there are some problems, but who cares? Plus, it's beautiful! And like I said, they'll be nice to you so long as you don't tell them you're like me. And from the looks of things, Taki wants to be rid of you. So you joining Konoha would not only ensure your safety, it would make both you and Taki happy. I'm…not sure what else I could say to convince you Fu-chan. Just trust me okay?"

Fu sighed and nodded her head. "A-All right. There's really nothing for me here anyways, and I have nowhere else to go. Your group does seem really nice, and…" Quickly shaking her head, Fu shut up and just smiled sweetly at Naruto before nodding her head again. "I'll gladly follow you back to Konoha Naruto-san! Can we please leave now? I don't want any more of these jerks finding us. Please, please let's go."

Naruto grinned and nodded his head. "You heard her everybody, let's hit the road and get home! I can't wait to reunite Sean-sensei with his cousin and get Fu-chan a home in Konoha!" Chuckling happily, the blonde set off with Fu at his side, the two making conversation merrily as they went along.

Meanwhile, the rest of Team 8 and Jima stood watching them for a moment before setting off after them. Jima looked to Anko and Kurenai as she followed along at their speed. "Is he always like this?" When the two of them nodded, she waited for one of them to speak as she looked in front of her at the two happy Jinchuriki. "I don't know if he even notices it, but little Naruto's turning into a little chick magnet. He's got some natural charisma. Just has to talk to people and they follow him. Or fall for him. It doesn't really matter. The point is, Naruto's naturally charismatic and he's pulled off some incredible things so far. From what Kurenai tells me, the people of Wave named a huge bridge after him. The Great Naruto Bridge. Wherever he goes, Naruto's capable of making friends and inspiring people. I'm sure you'll end up liking him in the end too. He's a good kid." Jima simply nodded slowly as she continued to watch Naruto converse with the girl at his side.

Behind them however, Sakura running alongside Kiba and couldn't pry her eyes off of Naruto and Fu. Kiba snickered beside her and shook his head. "Man Sakura, you look pissed. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous. It almost seems like you like him or something."

Sakura quickly turned her head and blushed furiously. "W-What the hell Kiba?! I don't like Naruto in that way! I just don't want that girl getting too close to him, that's all. Naruto's with Hinata. He's her boyfriend. It wouldn't be right if any of those girls tried to go for him. Haku's already infatuated with him, and now this Fu girl looks like she's developing a small crush on him too. It's not right dammit!"

Kiba smirked to himself and whispered in her ear. "You are totally jealous. Why don't you just go up there and tell him how you feel? It's so obvious you like him, and he cares about you too you know? You're one of his dear friends, just like me and the others. So what if he rejects you or something? At least you'll have told him how you really feel."

Sakura growled and quickly clobbered Kiba for the crap he was spouting. "Shut the hell up Kiba! I don't want to talk to you anymore. You're just…ugh!" Picking up speed, Sakura moved up to run with Naruto and Fu. For a while she just ran in silence beside him, but after time she joined in and talked with the both of them as they made their way towards Konoha.

_**The Next Day – Konoha – 2:00 PM**_

As they stepped through the gates of Konoha, Fu looked around in awe as she clung to Naruto's arm, much to his confusion of course. "You're right Naruto, it's beautiful here! Thank you for inviting me to come! Let's go see the Hokage, I want to be accepted into the village as soon as possible! Maybe I'll even find a place to live too!" Leaning in, Fu placed a kiss on the blonde's cheek and quickly began making her way to the Hokage Tower with Jima, Kiba, and Kurenai. Anko and Sakura stayed behind. One chuckling at what had just happened and the flustered look and blush on Naruto's face; the other was fuming as she whacked the blonde in the back of his head.

"You bastard! Stop flirting with other girls Naruto!" With that, the pink-haired kunoichi stormed off to follow after the others. After she was out of sight, the Snake Mistress placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder and shook her head. "Man Gaki, you sure are popular with the ladies. Keep this up and who knows what'll happen? Me? I'm more interested in your cutie of a sensei." Winking at him, Naruto sighed and simply walked with her towards the tower, a defeated look on his face. _Hinata-chan's going to kill me. I didn't think Fu-chan would kiss me!_

_**Minutes later – Hokage Tower**_

Team 8 plus two stepped into the Hokage's Office and smiled as they bowed to him. "Jiji-sama, the mission was a success! Of course, things took a pretty interesting turn." Naruto said, chuckling afterwards as he nodded at his Jiji.

Turning to face him, a frustrated look quickly adorning his features, the Hokage shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What happened this time? You didn't blow up Taki this time or something, did you Naruto-kun?"

At this, the blonde sighed and began to grumble about stupid old men and whatnot. "Jiji, why would I do that? I was simply talking about meeting Sean's cousin and Fu-chan here. She's like me and I said you would take her in and make her a kunoichi of our village. Taki was trying to kill her. They also kinda tried to use us and let us die in the crossfire. Not very nice of them if you ask me."

Kurenai sighed at the bluntness of her student and nodded her head calmly. "It's true Hokage-sama. While it's true that Konoha missing-nin were there in Taki's territory, Taki was acting strange from the moment we arrived. They sent Fu-san to assist us in hunting them down and dealing with them, but that's where things turned…odd." Nodding at her Hokage, she made a motion with her eyes signaling towards the hidden ANBU in the room. Getting the message, Hiruzen Sarutobi dismissed his ANBU before placing the privacy seals. "Please continue Kurenai-san."

The Genjutsu Mistress nodded and took a deep breath. "Fu is a Jinchuriki, just like Naruto. Taki sent her with us hoping that she would die during the battle. However, as we arrived at the cave where the enemy was hiding, Jima-san stepped out and greeted us. She quickly revealed her connection with Sean-san and began arguing with Anko-san and Naruto about why she couldn't return to Konoha with us. In their frustration with each other, Naruto and Jima-san made short work of our enemies. That is when a large group of Takigakure ninja surrounded us and talked about how the 'demon' should have died.

Naturally, at first we assumed they meant Naruto. We all shared a similar sentiment: how could they know about Naruto and why would they want him dead? However, we soon found out they were talking about Fu here." Gently reaching out, Kurenai put a comforting hand on Fu's shoulder and offered her a kind smile. "Naruto…summoned a Wind Beast. Apparently Sean-san allowed our little blonde knucklehead to sign the contract some time ago and we never knew about it until now. Naruto's wind dragon made short work of the enemies, and he even convinced these two to return to Konoha with us. As I'm sure you can imagine, Jima-san would like to meet Sean as soon as possible, while Fu wants to join us as a Genin of our village. She is also looking for a home here in Konoha, Hokage-sama."

As Kurenai bowed low to him, the Hokage smiled softly and shook his head. "Are all of your missions outside of the village going to result in something interesting happening Naruto-kun? You truly are something else." Chuckling softly, the Hokage nodded and looked to Fu first. "Fu, correct? I will gladly accept you into our village. I also plan to send a few of my Jonin to Takigakure to 'discuss' certain things with them. Trying to eliminate some of my shinobi, and one I view as my grandson for that matter, honestly doesn't sit well with me. They won't just get away with this." Slowly opening a drawer in his desk, Hiruzen pulled out a hitai-ate and handed it to Fu. "There is your headband Fu. Second, I have the perfect place for you to live. As Naruto convinced you to join us, I consider you under his protection. You are his responsibility, so you will live with him in his estate. Congratulations to the both of you."

Smirking at the looks on their faces and the tremendous blushes adorning them, the Hokage found himself laughing after a time. "Now, as for the matter of Jima here…" Suddenly adorning a serious expression, the Hokage stared sternly at her. "Sean and the rest of Team 7 returned a day before you did from their mission. He's been behaving oddly ever since the revelation recently. If Sean-kun is not at home, expect to find him at one of the training grounds. Anko, Kurenai, I expect you to help her find him. Then, I want the four of you to report back to me after you've had your little conversation with him Jima-san. Now Team 8, you are dismissed. Naruto, guide Fu to your home and help her get settled in. You are then to show her around the village. Don't even consider trying to weasel your way out of this." Smirking again, the Sandaime Hokage watched as the group left his office as he quickly undid the privacy seals.

_**Sakura – Yamanaka Flower Shop Moments later**_

"I just don't get it Ino. What the hell is with Naruto and girls? Hinata, Haku, now this Fu girl…girls just keep falling for him. You remember how he used to like me? Now I'm lucky if we even get to spend any time together as friends. I'm lucky he even _considers_ me a friend after how I treated him." Sighing deeply, the sat down and sulked slightly as she buried her face in her knees. "I've tried to ask him if he'd like to get ramen with me so we could talk about how things are going for him and what's been happening with the both of us since everything changed…but he's always busy. Either Sean-sensei was training him or he had a date to go to with Hinata or SOMETHING! You and Naruto are my best friends. Is it so wrong that I want to spend time with him?"

Ino frowned as she sat down beside Sakura and placed a comforting hand on her arm. "Sakura, I know you probably don't want to hear this, but the way you sound right now…it's almost like you're completely love struck. Are you sure you only see him as a friend?" At the look on Sakura's face, Ino quickly raised her hands in defense and shook her head quickly. "I'm not trying to tease you or insult you Forehead, I'm just saying. I haven't seen Naruto in a while, but he's always been a really nice guy. Despite all the crap he's been put through, he's still so nice. If you have developed feelings for him, I don't see why you think it's such a bad thing."

Sakura grumbled and shook her head. "Naruto's taken Ino-pig. He's dating Hinata. There's no way in hell I'm coming between that or even _trying_ to. They both deserve their happiness, and they definitely deserve each other. I honestly don't know how I feel about him Ino, but the truth of the matter is…I really do care about him. It's stupid, I know, but I like spending time with him. However, unlike me, those other girls don't seem to care that he's in a relationship. I doubt they'll respect that. I don't know what to do to make sure they leave him alone. And now that that Fu girl's going to be LIVING with Naruto…"

Ino went wide-eyed at this bit of information. "Oh no, that isn't going to go over well. Hinata's going to have a fit to find out her boyfriend's living with another girl! That…can't be a good thing. Spending all that time with a girl that actually likes him, I can only IMAGINE what kinds of things could happen. This just isn't right Forehead! We have to do something, don't we?!"

Sakura sighed and shook her head. "Hokage-sama's orders Ino-pig. And no, we aren't going to tell Hinata about this either. That's actually Naruto's responsibility as her boyfriend. You should know as well as I do how very honest he is. I doubt he'll keep it secret from her for very long. I can only hope that this doesn't end up ruining their relationship." Lowering her head again, Sakura frowned and closed her eyes. "Thanks for listening to me Ino. Do you think we could go out and get something to eat or something? I could use some fresh air." As Ino nodded, Sakura smiled a bit and went to the front door to await her friend. When Ino reappeared with a small bag slung over her shoulder, the two smiled at each other and soon left to get some early dinner.

_**Sean – Team 7's Training Ground**_

Once again, Sean was angrily tearing apart the training ground as he thought about everything that happened recently. Kakashi and the other members of Team 7 were standing nearby simply watching him. None of them were sure of what they could do to help him, but they did know that they were very worried about him. Haku was actually tempted to step forward and try to talk to him, as was Hinata, but Kakashi refused to let them go near him while he was in this state.

Everyone soon turned when they felt three new presences enter the training ground and approach cautiously. Sean dismissed his wind sword and looked at the blue-haired woman curiously before turning to Anko and Kurenai. "Who's she?" A simple question, but the tone in his voice sent shivers down their spines. It was clear to them that Sean was angry again.

Jima sighed and stepped forward. "S-Sean? Please calm down. I'm…your cousin, Jima. Naruto and Anko convinced me to come to Konoha to meet with you." The woman explained calmly as she kept her head bowed to her cousin. Inside, she was nervous as can be, but on the outside she did her best to remain calm.

Team 7's eyes widened and they quickly began to look between Sean and Jima. Sean simply stared at Jima as he tried to process what had just been said to him. After a time, he lowered his head and sighed. "My cousin, huh?" Jima simply nodded and looked at him, trying to gauge his reaction. It was currently impossible for her to tell how he was feeling. Finally, when she heard soft sobs coming from her cousin, Jima's eyes widened and she slowly stepped closer to him. "D-Don't…come closer."

Sean slowly lifted his head and stared at her, a variety of emotions displayed on his face. "Why? Why the hell haven't one of you come to see me before now?! Why are you even here Jima?! You didn't even want to see me…did you? You said it yourself; you had to be CONVINCED to come here! You weren't going to come here to see me. You probably don't even care, do you?! Those two…they shouldn't have even bothered." The Wind God slowly turned away and prepared to use a wind shunshin to disappear when he heard her speak.

"Dammit Sean, would you listen to me?! I do care about you! I love you very much and I've missed you tremendously! I don't know why your parents left you, but I made it my mission to find them and get some answers from them. My mom is out looking for more of our family. We wanted…" Sighing, Jima hurried to Sean and threw her arms around him from behind and rested her head against his back. She absolutely refused to let him leave. "Mother and I wanted to bring you to live with us. Father refused. I don't know why. I never found out. You…there's apparently something about you that caused him to refuse our request. Father said you were safest here in Konoha. People…if they knew about you, you'd be in more danger. That's what he said. I don't get it. I've heard about you, I've kept up with your exploits and your missions and everything Sean! You're called the Wind God and you're somewhat popular in this village. You've done some wonderful things cousin, but…you're lonely. I…"

Sean sighed and lowered his head again. Slowly, the Wind God raised his hands and gently gripped hers as they rested on his chest. "Jima…it's okay. Well…it's not, but I think you understand what I mean. Is it safe to assume that your father, my _uncle_ is dead?" Jima nodded against his back and clung to him tighter. "I didn't like my father. The way he talked about you…it was as if you were only a weapon to be used when the time was right. Mother and I didn't trust him after he first refused to let us adopt you into the family. But…before you say anything more Sean…know that your parents love you. I know they do. I don't know why they abandoned you here in Konoha, but that's part of the reason why I've been looking for them. It's also why I can't stay here for very long. Then again…after years of searching for them I haven't found a single clue. I'm tempted to try and look for them in the ruins of Uzushiogakure, but I bet even that will end up being a dead end." Sighing angrily, she half stumbled when Sean turned around and wrapped his arms around her.

Looking up into her cousin's eyes, Jima slowly reached up and wiped his tears. "You shouldn't be crying cousin. Please smile." Sean chuckled softly and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "Look who's talking. You were crying too Jima-chan. I…have a proposition for you if you'll hear me out?" Jima nodded slowly and rested her head against her cousin's chest. She was honestly just glad to be holding him right now. "Stay in Konoha for a time. There's a man I know. He has a pretty amazing spy network. When he returns to the village, I'll know of it and we can talk with him together. His name is Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin. If anyone might have any clues, I'm damn sure it'll be him. What do you say Jima-chan?"

Jima looked into his eyes and smiled as she nodded her head slowly. "That sounds like a great idea Seanie-kun. Now…could we go get something to eat? Or do you have to train your students?" Looking over at the three Genin of Team 7, Jima smirked a bit as she thought about the kind of training her cousin probably put them through every day. Sean glanced at them and shook his head. "No, I think Kakashi can handle their training by himself for a day. I want to spend time with my cousin. Thanks for escorting her to me Anko-chan, Kurenai-san." Smiling at them both, the two cousins vanished in separate shunshins to go do their own thing.

Anko sighed and shook her head. "I swear with the way they were holding each other that the two of them were acting more like a damn couple than simple cousins. Just like Naruto, I swear." Huffing angrily, Anko stormed off with Kurenai chuckling and walking alongside her. Meanwhile, Kakashi gave an eye smile as he looked down at his students. "Well, since I have you to myself for the day, I'd like to try some…hmmm…'unique' exercises today. I hope you're prepared for some highly difficult training students." Underneath his mask, the Copy Ninja was smirking wickedly and the gleam in his eye only spelled trouble for the Genin of Team 7.

_**Naruto & Fu – Streets of Konoha**_

Naruto sighed as he did his best to ignore the sneers and glares of people he passed by on the streets. Fu looked upset by their actions and worried for her new friend, but he just seemed to be smiling and bearing it as best he could. The blonde had shown the mint green haired girl around his estate first, but the two soon left so he could show her around town and hopefully introduce him to some of his friends. However, the only one he had met so far was Shikamaru and the lazy Nara didn't seem at all interested in Fu or her association with Naruto. In fact, the Nara heir seemed far too tired to even register anything that was said to him.

Slowly, the duo approached a weapon shop and Naruto held the door open for her. Stepping inside, he was about to speak to her when the shop owner looked at the two curiously before his eyes rested on Naruto. Upon recognizing him, the shop owner grinned and quickly rushed around to shake the young man's hands. "Ah, you're Naruto Uzumaki-san correct?!" When Naruto simply nodded, a _very_ confused expression plastered on his face, the owner grinned even more. "Good, good! How come you've yet to visit my shop Naruto-san?! You've always had Sean-san do your shopping for you while you've waited outside. That's very disappointing you know. Your sensei made me promise to make all my goods available to you, and I even agreed to sell everything to you at half price! Unlike those other stores and their clerks and whatnot, I've no grudge against you Naruto-san. Your fear is understandable, and your doubt and skepticism even more so, but I would like to assure you that I actually think you are quite a remarkable young man. Come, come, have a look around my store and feel free to purchase anything you would like. Your girlfriend is more than welcome to have a look as well if she'd like?"

Fu and Naruto immediately blushed deeply and shouted simultaneously, "He's/She's not my boyfriend/girlfriend! We're just friends!" Looking at each other, both blushed again and averted their gazes to the floor. The store owner just chuckled and nodded before he went back to what he was doing before they came in.

Somebody else was in the store and heard the outburst. Curiously, this person made their way to the front of the store and stared curiously at the two shinobi standing there blushing. Getting a closer look, the person grinned. "Hey, aren't you that Naruto kid? Blonde, spiky hair, blue eyes, whisker marks…yep, you've gotta be him. I'm right, right?"

Both patrons turned to look at the newcomer and Naruto smiled. "Yep, I sure am Miss…?" The girl chuckled softly and bowed her head a moment. "Tenten. My name is Tenten. It's good to finally meet you Naruto-san. I've heard a lot about you. After all, your sensei and you are the reason Team 9 has a co-sensei now. Yugao-sensei is amazing! A true Kenjutsu master. You and your sensei have my thanks Naruto-san." Tenten explained, bowing to the blonde ninja with a smile.

Naruto blinked a few times before shrugging. "You, uhh…you don't need to bow Tenten-san. Sean's an amazing sensei and I'm glad that he was able to ensure you and your teammates received such a fantastic co-sensei. It's also nice to meet you Tenten-san. I don't think I've met either of your teammates or even your sensei though. Who are they?"

Tenten sighed and looked at him with a frown. "My sensei is Might Guy. My teammates are Neji Hyuga and Rock Lee. Guy and Lee are practically clones. They may not be father and son, but they sure as hell act just like each other. And Neji…I like him, but the guy's way too stubborn and strict. He doesn't really talk all that much and he's OBSESSED with fate and destiny and stuff like that. Yugao-sensei has tried to teach him, but Neji's so rude to her!" Huffing, the kunoichi folded her arms underneath her small bust and grumbled a moment before Naruto interjected.

"Neji. I've heard about him from Hinata-chan. Neji's one of those that treats her like crap all the time. Hinata-chan's going to kick his ass in the Chunin Exams dattebayo and I hope you'll see why he's not worth your time." Nodding his head, the blonde was taken aback when Tenten started to giggle. "W-What's so funny?"

Tenten giggled for a while longer before nodding her head at him and calming down. "Personally? I kind of hope she does. Neji-san may be my teammate, but he needs to be knocked down a few pegs. It really might do him some good. Actually, just in case Hinata doesn't get to, I hope you kick his ass Naruto-san. I'm sure you can. I've heard nothing but great things about you so it'd be good to see you beat him. If he shapes up, he might actually be easier to work with. As it stands, Neji's attitude really sucks and it's hard to actually work with him sometimes. So I'd really, truly appreciate it if one of you beat him when the time comes."

Naruto nodded and smiled kindly at her. "Well, we'll do what we can Tenten-san. It was really nice talking to you and I hope we get to see each other again. You're a really nice person and I'm glad we met. See ya later!" Shaking Tenten's hand gently, Naruto wandered off to look around in the store for anything he might be able to get some use out of with Fu following suit, doing the same as he was.

Tenten smirked a bit and watched him for a moment. _You're definitely interesting Naruto Uzumaki. It would be nice to see you again. Guess I'll see you at the Chunin Exams later on._ Nodding her head, the Weapons Mistress paid for her items and left the store with a grin on her face. _Look out Neji, you've got some serious competition coming your way!_

_**2 ½ months later – Day before the Chunin Exams**_

Each of the teams had received their invitations to join the Chunin Exams, and currently Naruto and his friends were simply wandering the village talking and discussing things. At the moment, Naruto and Hinata were holding hands and walking to their favorite ramen stand. It had taken Hinata some time to accept that another girl would be spending a lot more time with _her_ Naruto-kun than she would get to, but after making sure that it was known to all the other girls that seemed interested in him even in the slightest that she was his girlfriend, Hinata started to cheer up. Nowadays, the two of them were really happy with each other and couldn't wait to kick some butt in the Chunin Exams.

Fu, Sakura, and Haku were walking behind them, each one looking highly jealous of Hinata. However, they found themselves in deep conversation with one another. Haku and Sakura found out from Fu that she was assigned to be one of Sasuke's teammates in the Chunin Exams and both gave her their condolences and wished her the best of luck. Fu had been training with a variety of sensei ever since joining the village, two of the main ones being Sean and Jima. As a result of her training, the Jinchuriki of the Nanabi had become much more powerful than before.

Haku thought about the current co-sensei of Team 7 and groaned. Yugao Uzuki had been helping Kakashi to train them into the ground every single day. She had also insisted that they forego all the D-rank missions and do C-rank missions until it came time for the Chunin Exams. Remembering all the harsh training of recent days, the Ice Mistress began to massage her shoulders and groaned. _It'd be great if Naruto-kun could just give me a massage._

Team 8's current co-sensei was Genma Shiranui. While not as effective as Sean had been, Sakura still appreciated Genma and all his lessons. He had taught her some rather interesting uses for senbon and she was positively giddy about finding a chance to use all of her new techniques in the Chunin Exams tomorrow. However, at the moment the main thing on her mind was Naruto and Sean. Naruto for obvious reasons, and Sean because he and his cousin had been spending a _lot_ of time together. She had seen them eating together at restaurants, training together, laughing together, sitting together atop the Shodai's head on the Hokage Monument, and many more things. They had become incredibly close over the months she had been in Konoha and she was even helping him train the Genin and each other. Anko seemed jealous of all the attention that Jima was getting from Sean and Sakura had found that somewhat amusing. However, Sakura was still a little wary of Jima. She would be leaving at some point after she got the information she needed from Jiraiya of the Sannin and she wasn't at all sure how Sean would take her disappearance.

As the three followed behind Naruto and his girlfriend, somebody else was following behind them. Whispering quietly to his teammates, Konohamaru grinned slightly. "What do you think guys? Naruto's girlfriend seems pretty awesome, but those other three bimbos are kind of annoying with how they're always stalking him. Think we should do something to give Boss and his girl some privacy?"

Moegi and Udon looked to Konohamaru and shook their heads. "They haven't tried anything yet. They're really nice to him too. Plus, they do seem really nice. They're always doing their best to look out for him Konohamaru-kun." Udon nodded soon after and smiled as he wiped some snot from his nose and began to speak. "Yeah Konohamaru, let's leave 'em alone. Boss doesn't seem to mind."

Konohamaru groaned and shook his head. "You two are such lame-o's! I want to have a little bit of fun with them. Is that so wrong?" As his two companions sighed, the young boy looked forward through the eyeholes in the dirt-colored box and quickly froze. The Boss and his girls had stopped and had been eyeing them for a while. Gulping, Konohamaru threw the box off and pointed his finger at them all. "Looks like you spotted us Boss! You're as observant as ever! It's a good thing I chose to make you my rival. Someday I'll be as good as you are, right Boss?!"

Naruto chuckled softly and patted the runt on his head. "Yeah, yeah Konohamaru. Why are you following me now huh? Were you by any chance looking to mooch some ramen off of me?" Smirking at that, the blonde wasn't expecting what Konohamaru was to say next. "Nah Boss, me and my crew were simply trying to keep an eye on these three bimbos to make sure they didn't try to steal you away from your girlfriend. So far, I really don't like the looks they keep giving you and Hinata-chan! And…hey, wait a minute. Aren't you that pink-haired girl that was always mean to the Boss before? What're you and your big forehead doing stalking after him now, huh?! Planning to try and hurt him again are you?! Well I won't let it happen you ugly bitch!"

Naruto groaned and slapped his face. "Oh no. Please tell me you didn't just say that to Sakura-chan Konohamaru?" The boy just nodded, unable to see the problem at hand. All three girls soon felt something snap in them and they soon chased him into an alleyway, fully intent on killing the good-for-nothing little brat. However, when Konohamaru bumped into somebody and was lifted from the ground, the three of them soon froze and stared in horror as the stranger began to choke the little boy.

"H-Hey! Put him down! It's our fault he bumped into you, there's no need to go attacking the poor kid!" Fu shouted at him, only to have the clown-looking individual look towards her with a scowl. "Doesn't matter. The little punk bumped into me and hasn't even apologized. I have to teach him something about _respect_."

The young man's sister soon stepped up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey Kankuro, stop it! We don't want to get into any trouble, so put him down already would you?! Besides, he probably doesn't even know any better." Kankuro turned his gaze to his sister and practically snarled. "Shut up Temari. This won't take very long at all." With a smirk, he went to punch the kid only to have him suddenly disappear.

Blinking a few times, Kankuro turned to see the kid standing behind a blonde-haired kid. Chuckling darkly to himself, the puppeteer gripped the bundle strapped to his back and set it upon the ground before him with a grin. "Looks like somebody's trying to play the hero. I guess I'll have to teach you something too, now won't I you Konoha punk?" As he went to attack, he soon felt something sharp hit the back of his right hand and he winced. "Dammit, who the hell did that?!"

Naruto sighed and shook his head as he glanced over to Sasuke sitting on a tree branch tossing a pebble into the air and catching it when it fell back down into his hand. "Still the same old showoff, aren't you Teme? Why don't you leave this kind of thing to the big boys to handle all right and save yourself the embarrassment? And you, the guy with the gourd, why don't you come on down and introduce yourself?"

Sasuke blinked as he turned to see a red-haired kid with a rather large gourd strapped to his back perform a sand shunshin and reappear in front of the kid known as Kankuro. _I never even sensed him! How the hell long was he there? And for that matter, why was the Dobe able to sense him before me?_ The Uchiha thought angrily. Hopping down off the branch and landing a small distance from Naruto, Sasuke glared between him and the Suna siblings.

Gaara glared at his brother as sand began swirling around him dangerously. "Kankuro, what did you think you were doing?" The young man with the clown makeup began to sweat nervously and spoke with a slight stutter. "G-Gaara. I'm sorry, I didn't really mean it. I…I was just joking around. Yeah!" Temari looked concerned and, more than that, _frightened_. "We-We're sorry Gaara. It won't happen again. Please forgive us." Both of the siblings bowed to their younger brother while he just shook his head and 'hmph'ed' in disappointment.

As the Suna siblings began to walk away, Sasuke decided to speak up. "Who the hell are you and why are you three here?" Groaning, Naruto, Hinata, and the others simply shook their heads and mumbled about Sasuke being an idiot under their breaths. The three Suna siblings turned around and stared at him puzzled for a moment before Kankuro spoke up again. "Don't you know? We're here for the Chunin Exams." Sasuke sighed and nodded. "Fine then. You, tell me your name. You're obviously powerful and I like to know the names of my enemies."

Temari chuckled softly and shook her head. "Sorry cutie, but I'm not into egotistical assholes. I'm flattered you'd want to know my name though." Sasuke sighed and shook his head. "Not you Bimbo, the guy with the red hair." Gaara grumbled while Temari fumed about being insulted in such a way. "It's considered polite to offer your own name first, is it not?" Sasuke once again grumbled and replied hastily. "Fine. My name is Sasuke Uchiha. Now stop being a pain and tell me your fucking name!" Gaara grumbled at the young man's stupidity and spoke up once more. "If you had been using your ears and paying attention rather than playing the fool, you would have heard my name when my siblings spoke it. I am Gaara. It's _not_ a pleasure to meet you Uchiha."

While Sasuke fumed at the blatant disrespect, Gaara turned around and looked to Naruto. "You've heard my name, now I would like to hear yours." Naruto chuckled and rubbed the back of his head a moment. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. Good to meet you Gaara-san. It's also nice to meet you as well Temari-san, Kankuro-san." Bowing his head slightly to each of the siblings in turn, they did the same to him before they began walking off again. "I hope to meet again in the exams Uzumaki." Gaara stated as they disappeared around the corner.

Sasuke glared at Naruto and shook his head. As he prepared to say something spiteful to the blonde, Zabuza quickly appeared before him and backhanded him, sending Sasuke flying through the alley. "What did I tell you about running off to play 'Mr. Cool' Uchiha brat?! Just for that, you're running 100 laps around the entirety of Konoha and I'm not letting you take a single fucking break! Not even to drink a single drop of water! Now get moving you disrespectful little punk!"

As Sasuke ran off, the others in the alleyway looked in awe at Zabuza. "Y-You're Sasuke's new sensei?! I have to say, I wasn't expecting that Zabuza-sama!" Haku stated, a nervous sweat drop running down the side of her face. Zabuza hadn't even been this hard on her. She could only imagine the kind of horrors he had already put Sasuke through in the past months.

Zabuza turned around and smiled under his mask. "Ahhh, Haku, Naruto, and…others. I hope you do well in the Chunin Exams tomorrow. You'd better not disappoint me or else I'll have to talk to Hokage-sama about allowing me to play with you all as well. After all, I can't settle for you failing to show everyone what you've got in the Chunin Exams. A fair punishment would be for you to experience some of the horrors I can put you through should you let me down, don't you all agree?"

Haku shivered at that and shook her head. "Zabuza-sama…I don't even want to imagine what you'd have us do should we fail to make Chunin. Just…please, go focus on the Uchiha brat. We promise we'll do our very best and make Chunin. Right?!" The Ice Mistress looked around at the others and everyone that was going to participate in the Chunin Exams quickly nodded stiffly before Zabuza grinned and walked off to check on his 'student'.

"You know guys, I never, _ever_ thought I'd say this…but I actually feel sort of sorry for the teme right about now. But…I also have to admit I'm a little concerned. If Zabuza's been training him all this time, just how powerful has he become? It's a little worrisome to think about." Sighing, Naruto soon felt Hinata squeeze his hand and he turned to see her smile. "Naruto-kun, why are you worried? We've been training as well and that jerk doesn't know what true strength is. We can beat him and hopefully knock his ego down enough that he might actually become a proper shinobi of Konoha. Though…I highly doubt he'll ever change. Sasuke has always been a jerk."

Everyone nodded and sighed heavily. "Look on the bright side. At least one of us will get to kick his ass in the Chunin Exams right? There's a pretty good chance of that." Sakura said with a small smirk. Nobody had expected her to say that, but Naruto soon found himself grinning and nodded. "Damn right!" Chuckling to himself, the blonde-haired ninja led the group to Ichiraku Ramen to enjoy a good lunch.

_**Next Day – Outside the Konoha Academy**_

Staring up at the academy, Naruto found himself grinning as he had his hands behind his head. "Man this brings back memories. Not all of them good ones of course, but still, memories. If the first part of the exams is held here, then that's fine with me. I, Naruto Uzumaki, am ready for it!"

Chuckling at his enthusiasm, the other members of Team 8, including the two senseis, grinned. Kurenai quickly spoke up. "Listen you three. I want you to be careful and do your very best in there. Naruto, Sakura, Kiba & Akamaru, I know you'll do great. Go in there and make us proud all right?" The Genjutsu Mistress offered the three of them her best smile while Genma wished them all luck as well. Soon enough, the Genin of Team 8 were waving them good-bye as they stepped into the building.

"Heh, how do you think they'll do Kurenai?" Genma asked with a small grin as he shifted the senbon around in his mouth. Kurenai turned to him for a moment before she watched the three enter the academy. "The three of them will do great. If they don't all make it into the finals, I'll be shocked and amazed. We've trained them hard, and they hold everyone's teachings close to their hearts. They'll be fine." Genma nodded calmly and chuckled to himself. "All the other Genin had better watch out. The Genin of Team 8 are going to take it all the way."

**A/N: Sorry that this may not be my greatest chapter, but as I mentioned before I haven't been feeling so great. I've been running a fever and about midway through typing this chapter I began to feel incredibly drowsy and I just could not stop coughing. It's definitely not the longest chapter, and it may be fairly dull, but I still hope that you'll all find it enjoyable. The next chapter will officially start the Chunin Exams arc of the story, so I hope you'll all be looking forward to that.**

**Yes, I introduced some more canon characters and I revealed who Sasuke's sensei is. Sasuke's still a total dick, but he won't be as bad as before. Not yet at least. There are some surprises I have in store for the Exams, so I hope you'll enjoy what's in store.**

**Also, in case you find yourselves wondering: no, Naruto isn't with Fu, Haku, and Sakura. They like him, but they aren't with him. Naruto's only with Hinata at the moment. As for Sean, he's not in any relationships just yet either. Anko likes him and he may be spending a lot of time with his cousin, but Sean and Jima are just enjoying each other's company and trying to make the most of the time they have with each other before Jima sets off again.**

**Again, I'm not too sure how everything will play out relationship-wise in the story, but I will continue to take suggestions. As for the size of the harems...I'm actually unsure now. I know what I had planned to begin with, but it really could end up any which-way. I simply let the ideas from my mind flow through my hands into the story and things seem to be playing out in ways I didn't truly expect to be perfectly honest with all of you. Still, I hope you continue to enjoy everything and, as I said, I'll gladly take any suggestions you feel like giving. ^^ Now, I really, REALLY need some rest. I can't stop coughing!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 – Sasuke's New Team; Orochimaru Strikes!**

After entering the academy, the three Genin of Team 8 didn't speak much as they made their way up towards the third floor. However, after arriving on the second floor, all three of the Genin (plus Akamaru) were all dumbstruck at what they saw. "Umm, Naruto? Why there hell are all these people standing outside a room on the second floor? This doesn't make any sense." Kiba whispered to the blonde, doing his best to make sure none of the competition heard him.

Sakura shook her head and sighed before whispering to her two teammates quietly. "Genjutsu. They all fell for such a stupid Genjutsu. What do you want to do Naruto-kun?" Naruto looked to Sakura and then to Kiba and found himself smirking. "Want to go see who decided to pull this little stunt? I'd like to check out some of our competition too. Wouldn't you Kiba?" When Kiba nodded with a grin, they both heard Sakura sigh. "Don't be like that Sakura-chan, I'm sure all of them can't be totally stupid. Besides, we won't even stay long. Just long enough to get a glimpse of some of the competition and see who's responsible for the Genjutsu, and then we'll continue on our way. I promise."

The pink-haired girl nodded her head calmly and readjusted the black gloves she had on her hands. "Let's just get this over with. I don't want to be late because we decided to play around." Receiving nods from both of her teammates, Sakura nodded in return and walked with them towards the crowd. Shortly after arriving, a young man with a bowl cut hairstyle and bushy eyebrows was knocked back through the crowd and landed at Naruto's feet. With a shrug of his shoulders, the blonde extended a hand and helped the Genin to his feet. "Hey there, be a little careful all right? What's going on?"

Rock Lee glanced between Naruto back to the two blocking their way, and then back again to examine the members of Team 8. As he was about to answer, Lee's eyes finally rested on Sakura Haruno and his eyes instantly turned into hearts. Quickly grasping her hands, the young Genin began running circles across the backs of her hands with his thumbs. "Your beauty far surpasses what I expected based on the stories I've heard of you thus far Sakura-san. Perhaps you would be so kind as to accept my offer of a date?" Bowing to her for a moment, Lee prepared himself and gave her his 'nice guy pose'. The Genin's eyes and teeth were sparkling as he held his thumb up before her face. "I promise I will treat you right!"

Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously and her teammates both facepalmed themselves, groaning as they knew exactly what was coming next. In an instant, Rock Lee was laying flat on the ground with a large lump on his head while Sakura was slapping her hands against each other. "No! I'm sure you're a nice guy, but you're also creepy! C'mon Naruto-kun, Kiba, let's just move on." With that, the pink-haired kunoichi of Team 8 grabbed her teammates by their wrists and began leading them away from the crowd so they could move on.

Naruto shot a glanced back at Rock Lee and smiled at him. "Sorry about that. Do take care. Hopefully we'll see each other again later all right?" Chuckling softly to himself, the blonde Genin stepped in front of his teammates as they began their way upstairs to the third floor. Sadly, the three heard a familiar voice that caused them each to groan. _Ugh, that fucking idiot!_

"Idiots. How could you all fall for such a ridiculous Genjutsu? You should be ashamed of yourselves. After all, this is only the second floor. Come Fu, Sai, let's be on our way." As Sasuke finished, the two that had been barring the door in the first place began to laugh. "Wow, the Uchiha's still as arrogant as ever, isn't he Izumo?" Izumo nodded sadly and shook his head. "I guess some things never change Kotetsu. However, if you think you're so special, why not take a look over there at the group climbing the stairs? Not only did they get here before you Uchiha, but they figured it out right away as soon as they stepped foot on this floor. If you were wise, you would have taken their lead and left the other losers here to fail for failing to see through our 'ridiculous Genjutsu' as you so delicately put it. Now shoo boy. Run off with the rest of the competition and sulk because you were too stupid to think things through."

The members of Team 8 snickered as they walked off. As they left, they could hear Sasuke fuming and a small scuffle taking place as soon as they were out of sight. However, they soon froze once more as they heard the green spandex-clad boy talking once again. "Hmph, sounds like Eyebrow-san just stopped Teme from getting his ass kicked. He might be better than we gave him credit for Naruto." Kiba stated. Naruto simply gave a shrug before the four set off once more.

_**Moments Later – Exam Room**_

As Team 8 entered the exam room, the three Genin were struck by a wave of killing intent. However, instead of flinching from it, the three of them began to laugh while Akamaru yipped excitedly from atop Kiba's head. Clearly confused by the three of them, the Genin soon shrugged and turned around to continue doing whatever tasks they were doing before.

Naruto turned when he sensed a team to his left and grinned almost instantly when he recognized Shikamaru & Choji. "Hey guys, what's up?!" Walking closer to them, Naruto and Kiba greeted their best friends and hugged them tight. "It's been a while since we saw you last. It's been over a month or so since we last hung out right? Please tell me you two have been training hard? I want the four of us to make it all the way to the end!"

Choji nodded with a grin and looked to Shikamaru who yawned before nodding himself. "That damn friend of yours, Sean-sensei? He's trained us into the ground every day this damn month. And yet as tough as he's been on us, Ino hasn't let us complain once." Glaring at his female teammate, Shikamaru groaned and shook his head. "I swear she's got some kind of sick crush on him." "Yeah, Ino's been trying to impress your friend Naruto. Whenever he praises her, she gets all giddy. I have to say it's kind of funny." Choji added as he popped a few more chips into his mouth.

Ino blushed furiously and hit the both of them over their heads and sent them to the floor. "J-Jerks! It's not _that_ bad. Sean-sensei's only eleven years older than I am. I just need to grow up a bit more and in three or four years I should be developed enough for him! Then…" Sakura's groaning and Naruto's red face caused Ino to shut up instantly as she stared at them puzzled. "W-What's the problem?"

"Ino…you're talking about one of my very best friends. I don't even want to IMAGINE the kinds of things you've thought about doing with him. Plus…you might want to get to know Sean-sensei a bit more before you really start to think about things like that. Okay?" Naruto commented. Sakura decided to add her two cents in as well. "Jeez Ino-pig, couldn't you like somebody your own age? Sean-sensei's…old. Not Hokage old, but still…"

Ino pouted cutely and turned her back on her friends. "You just don't understand true love Forehead! And Naruto, your friend's AMAZING! Unlike Sasuke he's been so sweet to me and he took a true interest in me and my training. He's done so much for me already and…and…" Swooning, Ino turned around and held her hands to her face as she blushed deeply. Her teammates and the members of Team 8 just sighed and shook their heads as the next team walked up.

Team 7 stared curiously at the scene before them, but rather than comment, Hinata quickly threw her arms around her Naruto-kun and kissed him deeply in front of everybody. "I'm so glad to see you Naruto-kun! We're going to go all the way to the finals together, right?" Naruto chuckled softly and nodded his head as he brushed his fingers through his girlfriend's hair. "That's right Hinata-chan. I'm not sure what the Chunin Exams have in store for us, but with all the training we've been through, I just know we can make it all the way to the end. We made a promise to each other right?" Hinata giggled cutely and nodded her head before kissing him again. "Yes. No matter what happens, I'll make sure to meet you in the finals."

Haku sighed as she watched her teammate and her crush make out in front of her. Shino seemed unaffected however and simply gazed around at all the competition. Not much was said between them for a while until Team 9 walked in, shortly followed by Sasuke's team. Everyone glanced at the six of them, and upon spotting Sasuke and the shape he was in, the group began to chuckle. "Man Sasuke, what happened to you? You look like you were run over by a horde of stampeding bulls!" Haku shouted at him before she continued to laugh hysterically.

Sasuke grumbled and simply turned to look at everyone in the room. Sai, of course, didn't speak a word. Instead he merely gazed at the current competition and considered what each was most likely capable of and who would be the biggest threat to him and his team. Fu on the other hand soon walked up and threw her arms around Naruto before placing a kiss on his cheek. "Oh, he's just upset because he got his butt kicked in an unofficial Taijutsu spar with Rock Lee. Don't get me wrong, the jerk put up a decent fight, but Lee totally outclassed him in the end. Makes me wonder if he actually learned anything from that sensei of his."

Sasuke turned to glare at her and was about to say something to her when a silver-haired Genin with glasses and a Konoha hitai-ate walked over and began to speak to the large group of Genin. "Would you all please quiet down? If you haven't noticed, you're attracting a LOT of attention to yourselves right now. Take a look if you don't believe me." The young man stated calmly as he waved for them to look behind him.

All the Genin that had been conversing took a look behind him at all the glaring Genin in the room before they all took a look at Kabuto. "Those idiots with the weak killing intent? Who cares? There are only a few of them that actually seem worthwhile. The rest are just trash." Sasuke stated, and despite what the others may think of him, each of them nodded in turn.

Kabuto stood shocked for a moment before he regained his cool and nodded his head. Calmly pushing his glasses up with his right index finger, the young man began to speak again. "Well then, since that doesn't seem to bother you in the least I don't see any problem then. My name is Kabuto Yakushi. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."

At this point, Kiba interrupted. "Yeah yeah, what is it that you want exactly Kabuto-san? I doubt you approached us just to make small talk, right?" The others nodded and the man with the glasses chuckled dryly to himself. "So true. Did any of you know that this happens to be my seventh time taking these exams?" The shocked looks on some of their faces forced him to take on a grim expression. Soon, Kiba spoke up again. "Dude, you must really suck if it's taken you this many times just to become a Chunin!"

Kabuto shook his head and smirked wickedly at him. "While that might be true, I can assure you that the exams are just that tough. However, I would like to offer my help. If there is anyone you happen to be curious about, I can give you information on each and every person here. So, if any of you happen to be curious about any of your competition, just tell me what you know about them and I'll give you whatever information I have available. Who knows? It might give you a leg up on the competition and save you some trouble later on."

Sasuke grinned at this and stepped forward, shoving his way past Naruto in the process as he approached Kabuto. "All right then, I've got some people you can look up for me. Rock Lee, Gaara, and Naruto Uzumaki. Call me curious." The others present weren't at all surprised that Sasuke would be curious about Naruto. While before some of them may have been shocked, they had all heard plenty about his exploits and could completely understand why Sasuke wanted info on his rival.

Kabuto pouted and spoke up as he drew some of his cards and began pouring chakra into them. "That's just not fair. You already know their names. Takes all the challenge out of this." He muttered quietly as he flipped over the first card. "Rock Lee. His teammates are Neji Hyuga & Tenten. Sensei is Might Guy and…well, this is odd. Co-sensei is currently Anko Mitarashi? Since when did Konoha teams have co-sensei? Ah well. Let's see here. His sensei, Might Guy, held Lee and his team back from the past two Chunin Exams to further prepare them for the exams. He has absolutely no skills in Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, but he's apparently an exceptional Taijutsu specialist. It's also said that he's gained skills in Bojutsu and other weapon arts. In terms of missions, he has been on 13 D-rank missions, 7 C-ranks, 1 B-rank, 0 A-rank, and 0 S-rank missons. Not bad."

Everyone nodded and Naruto gave an approving smile to Lee before he looked back to hear the information on the next person: Gaara. "Gaara. His teammates are his two elder siblings: Temari and Kankuro. Sensei is a man named Baki. As you no doubt already know, they hail from Sunagakure. His skills are widely unknown, sadly. He has been on 0 D-rank missions, 7 C-rank missions, 4 B-ranks, 2 A-ranks, and 0 S-ranks. It's said that he has never suffered a single injury on any of the missions he's been on. That's actually quite incredible considering the types of missions he and his team have been on. It truly makes one wonder what type of abilities this Gaara has, doesn't it?"

Sasuke snarled at the many unknowns about Gaara. He hated the fact that he might be going into battle against such a foe. Grumbling at his shitty luck, the last Uchiha shook the thoughts out of his head and motioned for Kabuto to turn over the last card. "Come on, show me the last one. I want to know _his_ information now." Sasuke wasn't the only one curious. All of his them were curious about what Naruto had been up to and what his skills currently were, even his teammates!

Kabuto smirked and went to flip over the last card, but blinked a few times as he found it missing. "That's odd. Where the hell did that card go?!" Looking up, everyone followed his gaze to a humming Naruto as he looked over the information on his own card. "Well that _is _interesting. Do tell me Kabuto Yakushi, how would you have this kind of information on me? A lot of this information is supposed to be top secret." Smirking at the 19 year-old man before him, Naruto tore up the card and burned the remains to cinders using a small fire jutsu, much to everyone's surprise.

Kabuto looked a tad nervous at that. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about Naruto-san. What information on that card has you so upset?" Naruto shook his head and narrowed his eyes. "Nothing that concerns anyone here, least of all you. However, I _will_ get my answers from you later if I have to Kabuto. There were secrets written on that card that very few people are privilege to. You'd best be on your guard throughout this exam Kabuto-san, or you'll regret showing your face to me." Smirking wickedly, Naruto stepped back and decided to let the others talk to the foul man.

Kabuto groaned and shook his head. _Not good. I may have already blown my cover Orochimaru-sama. Then again, he was the dead last of his graduating class, I doubt he could be a true threat to our plans._ Smirking again, Kabuto nodded and looked to Sasuke once again. "Well, you have information on two of the three you asked about Sasuke-kun. As I'm sure you've no doubt realized, I happen to have information on practically everybody here. There are ninja from all over the world here and I could tell you about every single one. Kusa nin, Suna nin, Kiri nin, I could give you information on all of them. Though there are Genin from a newly formed village that I have little to no information on. Otogakure. As they are only recently formed, I can pretty much guarantee that they won't be any threat to highly trained Genin such as you." The young man smirked and nodded his head as he slipped away his cards and readjusted his glasses once more.

Everyone in the group sensed it almost immediately. The three Genin from Otogakure whispered amongst themselves and quickly dashed towards the group, each one radiating a small amount of killing intent. As they reached the group, the one with bandages wrapped all over his face and arms hidden by a poncho approached Kabuto quickly and attempted to attack him. Naruto, despite seeing the attack coming, decided to see what this new enemy of his was capable of. However, the blonde was disappointed as the young man simply jumped backwards slightly to avoid the punch. Soon after, Kabuto fell to his knees and vomited as his glasses cracked.

_Well that was certainly odd. I have a feeling Kabuto could have easily dealt with the Mummy Man and dealt with an attack such as that. Stranger still is that attack. It didn't land, and yet…ahhh, I see!_ Glancing at his teammates, Naruto nodded at them and the three nodded back at him. _Good, they've noticed it as well. I'm sure the others did too. These Oto Genin are not to be underestimated._

Soon, a small explosion of smoke flooded the room and the proctor for the first exam appeared with an entourage of Chunin and Jonin level ninja flanking him on both sides. "Sit down and shut up! You three stop this instant or I'll fail you all for fighting without permission!" The three Oto Genin quickly bowed their heads and grinned. "Sorry sir, we're just a little excitable right now. After all, this is our first Chunin Exams and we're eager to show what Oto Genin can do." The scarred proctor shook his head. "Don't let it happen again. Now, find your assigned seats and sit down maggots! Then I'll go over the rules."

As soon as everyone had taken their seats, Naruto glanced around at where everyone was sitting and found himself practically as giddy as can be as he realized he was seated right next to his girlfriend, Hinata Hyuga! Reaching over, the blonde gently squeezed her hand and the two smiled at each other, happy that they could be so close during this first test.

The two were interrupted from their thoughts however as the proctor spoke up again. "All right maggots, listen up! My name is Ibiki Morino and I'm your proctor for the first part of these exams. As I'm sure you may have noticed, I have numerous assistants scattered throughout the room. I will get to the reason for their presence here shortly. Now, before we begin, I would like to explain what you'll be doing. No doubt you have all noticed the papers sitting before you on your desks. You will be taking a written exam for your first test! However, there are some extra rules that need to be set in place before you may begin."

Grinning at some of the expressions on the faces of some of his 'victims', Ibiki continued on. "Firstly, anyone caught cheating three times will be failed. Should this happen, not only will you fail, but so will your teammates." When somebody dared to speak out against him, Ibiki let loose a wave of killing intent that instantly silenced everyone in the classroom. "Do not interrupt me maggots! Listen, and listen well lest I choose to punish the next person that dares to speak against my rules!" Receiving nods from all the Genin in the room, Ibiki nodded and continued on. "Second, there will be a tenth question given towards the end of the test. You will have 50 minutes to complete the first nine questions on your test. After those 50 minutes are up, I will pop the last question on you. Now, all of you get ready." Looking towards the clock and then towards his helpers, Ibiki smirked and nodded his head. "You all may begin!"

_**Naruto**_

As soon as he flipped over the paper, Naruto looked over each of the questions and groaned inwardly. _Great, just great. Sean-sensei may have helped me out a lot and I may be smarter now, but this? This is just insane! Okay Naruto, think for a moment. Rules, rules…_ After about a minute, it all clicked and the blonde Genin grinned to himself. _Clever. The answer is hidden within the rules. We're meant to cheat! Otherwise as soon as we were caught cheating just once, we'd be kicked out and the entire team would fail. All right, that makes things simpler for me._

Calmly glancing around the room for a moment, Naruto found that a number of people had already begun filling out the answers to the test. Smirking to himself, the young man nodded his head again. _As I suspected. Clever Ibiki-san, very clever. You planted some Chunin and Jonin throughout the room with that already knew the answers. Now to bring out a little friend._ Chuckling inwardly, Naruto unzipped his brownish red jacket slowly and put his finger to his chest. Soon a small wind creature slipped onto his finger and the young man brought it to eye level and whispered quietly to it. "All right Ginzo, I want you to find somebody with the answers and report back to me once you have them. Got it?" When the small cricket made entirely of wind hopped off, the blonde smirked to himself and quickly jotted down something on the back of his test while he waited for his friend to return with the answers.

_**10 Minutes Later**_

When the wind cricket returned to Naruto, he let it hop up onto his shoulder and smirked as it began relaying information to him. The blonde quickly jotted down all the answers before setting his pencil down and nodding calmly. "Very good Ginzo-san. Thanks for the other information as well. Information on their abilities should come in _very_ handy." He whispered with a smirk as the cricket snuggled back into his inner shirt pocket again. Glancing sideways at Hinata, he saw that she was almost done as well and nodded approvingly before he saw a kunai flash past his face and hit the desk behind him. Turning slightly, he saw that the kunai had imbedded the test of the Genin behind him. Just like before with some of the other teams, this Genin and his team were soon booted from the room for failing the test.

Sighing in relief, Naruto laid his head down upon the desk and closed his eyes. _For a minute I thought they had caught me somehow. Then again, if that was the case, they would have already booted Kiba from the room, failing Sakura and me in the process. After all, Akamaru keeps yipping and giving his master the answers that way. Guess I'm just being paranoid. I think I'll just relax until the last question is given out._ Yawning slightly, Naruto soon let his thoughts drift while he awaited the final question.

_**10 Minutes before the end of the test**_

Hinata gently reached out and shook Naruto awake again. Giggling at how cute he looked as he was stretching and opening his eyes, she pointed him towards Ibiki who was scowling at his display. The blonde quickly relaxed himself and nodded for the proctor to go on. "Now that we're all _awake_!" This particular comment wasn't just directed at Naruto of course. A certain Nara was targeted as well for the very same problem. "We can continue on with the final question."

Ibiki smirked and glanced around at everyone that still remained. "This final question comes with an additional set of rules." Looking around again, Ibiki was glad to see that none dared to interrupt him this time. Nodding appreciatively at how quickly they learned, the proctor went on. "First and foremost: if you refuse to attempt to answer this question, you will FAIL! Thus you and your team will be forced to leave."

Temari soon raised her hand and voiced a question that was on everybody's mind. "I don't mean to interrupt you sir, but can you please explain? Why wouldn't we choose to attempt the question if we'll fail for refusing it?"

Ibiki nodded with a smile and answered her somewhat politely. "That's actually a good question. If you choose to attempt to answer this question and you answer it wrongly, you and your team will _fail_! However, that's not all: should you get the answer wrong, you and your teammates will never get the chance to become Chunin ever again. So it is your choice: either stay and try to answer a question which you will very likely fail, or you can leave now and participate in the next Chunin Exams where you may attempt to become Chunin again. If you're smart, you'll choose option number 2." Smirking wickedly, Ibiki watched as many people began to sweat. One tried to argue with him, but upon seeing the look the proctor shot him, the Genin quickly shut up.

After a good five minutes, about half of the Genin remained. Glancing at Hinata to see how she was faring, Naruto frowned. She appeared to be nervous and was fidgeting constantly. _Crap. Looks like I have to do something before she throws in the towel._ Nodding to himself, Naruto stood up and slammed his hand down on the desk in front of him, quickly grabbing the attention of everybody in the room. "Are you all idiots?! I can't believe you're falling for this crap! Think about it dumbasses for just a minute! Ibiki-san has no control over the future of the Chunin Exams, especially if they're not held here in Konoha again for a time. This is another test! It's a test of our resolve! We ninja aren't always given the opportunity to back down when things get tough. Sometimes a mission's going to get hard and we're going to have to face some hard decisions. At times we might have to push ahead against impossible odds all because we have to protect our home and those we love and care about."

Looking around at everybody, the blonde Genin chose to give an important example to everyone in the room. "Take for example this hypothetical situation: you and your team have an enemy on the run. You know he's leading you into a trap, but it's also known that he has stolen a document pertaining to the defense of your village. You're most likely going to run into a situation where some of your teammates will die, but can you simply go back just to save yourselves? Of course not! Sean-sensei taught me about this at a young age and I know it's an important lesson dattebayo! So all of you grow a fucking backbone and don't quit just because Ibiki-san's as intimidating to you as Sean-sensei or Zabuza! Sit your butts down and stay the course."

With that said, Naruto sat down and folded his arms across his chest with a proud grin plastered on his face. Hinata soon placed her hand on his arm and smiled sweetly at him. "T-Thank you Naruto-kun. I don't know what came over me. I guess I'm still working on the confidence thing even now." Lowering her head in shame, she soon blushed when she felt her boyfriend place a gentle kiss upon her forehead. "Now now Hinata-chan, I won't be having any of that. I did this for you dattebayo." Grinning at her, they both looked to Ibiki and prepared for the final question.

Ibiki looked around and sighed as the time ticked away. _Well well well, it looks like the Gaki's speech did its job. Nobody else is going to leave. Might as well call it then._ Glancing around to his assistants, Ibiki nodded in sync with them and he quickly turned and threw his arms out to his sides. "Congratulations, all of you! You have all passed the first test!"

Soon, cries of disbelief could be heard throughout the room and the proctor groaned. "Before any of you dare to ask why or what the hell happened, I'll explain. As most of you figured out, the first part of the test was _designed_ to **force** you to cheat. It was all about information gathering in dangerous circumstances. Most of you did pretty well. A few of you were caught cheating at least once or twice, but you came through in the end. Since that lesson doesn't exactly require any further explanation, allow me to move on to the second part of the test."

Going quiet for a time, Ibiki untied his bandana and removed it slowly from his head, revealing his many scars. "Yes, I've seen my fair share of battle and torture in my days. As Blondie over there explained to you, you aren't always going to be given an easy decision. Sometimes you have to make a hard decision in order to do the right thing. Blondie already gave you a perfect hypothetical, but let me elaborate a bit more." Tying his bandana back around his head, Ibiki smiled broadly for a moment. "Think on this for a moment would you? Say a companion from your village has been taken hostage. You know for certain he's going to be tortured for whatever information he (or she) may hold. A rescue mission is to be staged, but you're to venture deep into enemy territory and enemy opposition will be high. As the Gaki stated, there's a high chance that some, or all of you may die during this mission. Should things turn south, are you supposed to run to save yourself and your team? No!" Glaring around the room, Ibiki decided to continue. "If the hostage has valuable information and there's nothing else you can do, you make that hard decision and you find a way to end the hostage's life. It's not easy, it never is when making a decision like that, but you _have _to do it in order to keep your village safe! It's a hard reality to face and it may make some of you as sick as these scars of mine tend to make people, but you may have to deal with it one day soon. Now…"

Before Ibiki could continue, the window burst and glass flew around the front of the room as a kunai and ball hit the floor in front of Ibiki. In a matter of seconds, a banner sprouted up and clung to the walls. The words upon said banner read as follows: "Introducing the Second Test's Sexy Proctor: Anko Mitarashi!" Groaning, all those that knew her immediately slapped their faces and listened as she appeared in the center of the room and began to give her spiel. _Dear Kami, what is wrong with you Anko-sensei?!_

As she glanced around the room, Anko frowned and turned to Ibiki. "What the hell Ibiki?! You've never let this many pass before! Are you losing your touch old man?" Ibiki simply chuckled and shook his head. "First of all, you're early again Anko. Second, perhaps you'd best not underestimate these Genin. It may just be that this year's crop is better than any before now. You'll have your work cut out for you." With a small smirk playing at her lips, Anko looked around at all those she had the honor of teaching throughout the past three months and smiled. "Well, we'll just see about that Ibiki. By the time I'm through with 'em, about half of these little Gakis will be dead."

Gulping at that statement, many of the Genin began to doubt themselves again. The grin on her face seemed to PROMISE death and the gleam in her eyes was seriously creeping them out. Team 9 lowered their heads in shame and shook their heads. "Anko-sensei, you are so _weird_!" Tenten shouted before Anko simply shrugged. "Maybe so Gaki, but at least I've got some style." The Snake Mistress smirked at that and Tenten simply sighed. "All right Gakis, meet me at Training Ground #44 in half an hour. Don't be late!" Laughing to herself, Anko soon jumped out the same window she crashed through and disappeared.

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Well Hinata-chan, I say we get our teams and get going. I assume she's shown your team to that particular training ground before right?" When Hinata nodded and smiled at him, the blonde ninja grinned and took her hand. "Then let's get going Hime!"

As the Genin filed out of the room, Ibiki went about collecting the tests and chuckled at some of them. When he reached Naruto's, the proctor blinked a couple of times as he lifted it to eye level and began to read the note on the back of the paper. _Kabuto huh? All right, I'll report this to Hokage-sama immediately. Might as well see what he wants to do about the little punk._ With that, Ibiki set the papers down and ordered his assistants to handle them while he shunshined out of the room to go and speak with the Hokage.

_**Training Ground #44 – 15 Minutes Later**_

As Teams 7 – 10 and Sasuke's team approached the training ground where the second part of the Chunin Exams would take place, Anko grinned at them. During her wait, she had been gradually sharpening a kunai and now found herself eyeing each of them carefully for a time. Once they finally reached her location, the Snake Mistress hopped from her position on top of the fence and chuckled softly as she looked them over again. "Well, it's good to see all of you here. Naruto, Hinata…any of you? Mind telling me how Sean's been?"

Ino began to fume at this point as she walked up and pointed her finger threateningly at Anko. "Why do you care?! You'd better stay away from him you crazy bitch!" The others that knew Anko quickly paled and took many steps away, much to the confusion of the others. This actually included Ino's teammates as they had heard plenty of crazy things about her from the others.

Anko's eyes narrowed and she began to chuckle darkly. "A crazy bitch am I? What? Does little blue-eyed blondie have a crush on her precious sensei?" As Ino's eyes went wide and she began to blush furiously, Anko laughed. "Hate to break it to you Blondie, but I saw him first. You're a little too young to be chasing after my man Gaki!"

Ino began to fume at this point and a long argument began between the two women with feelings for Sean. Meanwhile, the other Genin simply chose to ignore them and talk amongst one another about the two with HUUUGE crushes on Sean or even about what the second test could have in store for them. Every now and then another group of Genin would show, but they still had time to just sit and relax with each other while they waited.

_**Another 15 minutes later**_

The argument between the two girls had ended a few minutes ago after Naruto and Sakura chose to talk to them and talk with them both. Both of them had put up an argument that neither kunoichi could argue against: Sean wouldn't want them to do this or act like this. So, realizing the truth of that statement, the two had apologized to each other and returned to what they were doing before they had begun to argue.

"All right Gakis, now that most of you have arrived and the thirty minutes is up, I'll explain the next round of the Chunin Exams to you. First things first though: every team that hasn't made it here within the time limits is hereby disqualified. Sucks for them right?" Chuckling to herself, Anko gripped a piece of paper tight and waved it around in the air above her head. "Second, you're each going to be handed a form that looks like this. Think of this form as a kind of waver. The main point is to make sure you all acknowledge that if you happen to die in the forest that you've accepted your fate. This is mainly here as a political move so we can avoid some stupid, unnecessary war with your countries. If you're too afraid, you and your team can leave now. Shoo shoo to all you cowards out there."

A few teams did leave at this and Anko snickered at them as they left. With a shrug of her shoulders, Anko sent a few of her assistants to hand out the forms. Soon, she began to explain the rules of the next round to the Genin. "All right Genin, on to the rules of the next test!" Waving her arm out, the beautiful Snake Mistress grinned wickedly and listened happily as the beasts of the forest began to play their part perfectly. Roars, leaves shuffling, and more could be heard from within the Forest of Death, and all of it played in very well with Anko's little speech. "Welcome to Training Ground #44, a.k.a. the Forest of Death. As you can no doubt hear there are all kinds of nasty creatures in there and other things just waiting to tear into your flesh and make you bleed."

Some of the Genin were shaking, but the expected teams didn't show any care in the world. Naruto instead found himself smirking at Anko as she looked his way. _Anko-sensei, we already know about the dangers of the forest. You may be able to intimidate the others with this, but you can't intimidate us._ The blonde thought to himself while Anko just smirked his way and nodded appreciatively. At first she considered throwing a kunai at him to make an example, but she decided against it as she didn't want to upset Seanie-kun by 'assaulting' his favorite student.

Settling for just sighing, Anko pulled out two scrolls, both held different seals. "All right Gakis, listen up. The test this time is this: all teams will received a scroll. You will either receive a Heaven scroll or an Earth scroll. Your goal is to find a team that possesses the scroll you need and take it from them. Heaven scroll if you possess an Earth scroll and an Earth scroll should you possess a Heaven scroll. You may collect the scrolls by any means necessary upon entering the forest. You will each go to your designated gate, and when I say go, you'll be allowed entry. Also, you should all know that you are NOT permitted to even ATTEMPT opening the scrolls until you reach the tower in the center of the forest. You've five days to get the scroll you need and reach the tower. Any team who doesn't make it by the end of the fifth day will be disqualified. I shouldn't have to warn you to be careful in there and use your wits. Do yourselves and your villages proud!" With that, Anko turned and walked into the tent so she could begin handing out scrolls as soon as the teams began filing into the tent. _This would be so much nicer if Sean were here beside me._

_**Moments Later – Inside of the tent with Team 8**_

The Genin of Team 8 entered the tent and smiled at Anko as they handed her their forms. She soon handed them an Earth scroll and Naruto sealed the scroll away into a storage scroll just to be safe. Anko smirked at that and nodded her head appreciatively. "You probably should have waited to do that until you were in the forest, but I'll let it slide Gaki. You three should be careful in there okay? You're not just up against the dangers of the forest this time; you're up against other Genin teams from all over the continent. You know Seanie-kun cares about you three very much. So does the old man and numerous other people. Make everyone proud and do your very best okay? I know you can do it." Smiling at them, Anko ruffled Naruto's hair and sent them on their way.

_**Gate #17 – Team 8 – Moments Later**_

Seeing as how everyone had finally collected their scrolls and were now positioned at the many entrances into the Forest of Death, everyone was anxious to finally begin the second phase of the Chunin Exams. When Anko announced it through the speakers attached to the gates that it was time, Team 8 watched as their gate opened and quickly glanced at each other. Naruto grinned and nodded his head. "Let's go. I'll send out my shadow clones in search of the closest teams. Depending on what I find, it should help us determine which of the teams we should target. My clones will dispel when they learn which scroll the discovered team has so that will definitely make our choices easier for us. However, we need to be extremely careful. There are certain teams I don't want us to have to face in here."

Kiba nodded calmly and looked to him as they dashed through the trees to find a good place to hide out until Naruto's shadow clones found something. "That Suna team has me worried. Something about that Gaara guy gives me the creeps. Then there's Teams 7, 9, & 10. I don't want to deal with them. I'm sure you don't want to wipe out Sasuke's team if we can help it. After all, your little Fu-chan's part of that teme's new team and you want to see her go far, right?" Smirking to himself, the dog boy soon found himself smacked hard on the back of his head by the pink-haired kunoichi of the group. Sighing, he chose to simply sniff around for anything out of the ordinary that they should watch out for.

Sakura huffed angrily and shook her head. "Shut it Kiba. Naruto-kun's with Hinata. There's absolutely nothing going on between him and the three of us. They only have eyes for each other after all." Sighing sadly to herself, the young Haruno shook her head and focused on the matter at hand. "Ugh, now you've got me thinking about that Kiba. Thanks a lot! We need to focus on the exams. What do you want to do after we get the scroll we need Naruto-kun?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and soon pointed upwards to a darker part of the forest where they could hide in the shadows. Ascending to the point he pointed at, he began to converse with them some more in sharp whispers. "It honestly depends on how things go. Of course, I'd prefer to discuss it with you two first. In my personal opinion, I think we should head straight for the tower as soon as we have both scrolls. I don't want to run the risk of getting ambushed by a team and losing one of our scrolls. Of course, they won't be able to take our scrolls to begin with without our blood, so I suppose there really isn't much to worry about huh? What do you guys think?"

Kiba nodded and Akamaru barked quietly in agreement. "That's actually exactly what I was thinking. As soon as we have the scrolls, we should head for the tower. Akamaru and I can easily get us around any traps or enemy teams no problem. By that point, your shadow clones might draw too much attention to us to be honest Naruto."

Sakura nodded. "I agree with Kiba. However, there is something else I feel I should mention. If we come across one of our friends' teams in trouble, what should we do Naruto-kun? I'm all for helping them out if you want to."

Naruto thought it over for a moment and both he and Kiba nodded at the same time. "That sounds good to me Sakura-chan. I hate the prospect of helping Sasuke out though, but I'll do it for Fu-chan. Teams 7, 9, & 10 I'll gladly help out. We may not know the members of Team 9 all that well, but I've met Tenten before and she's a great friend. Lee's not too bad either. I couldn't care less about Neji though. That punk treats Hinata-chan like dirt. I'd just as soon kick his ass all over this forest as I would rescue his teammates." Snarling a bit, Naruto did his best to calm himself as he prepared to speak further.

Before he could however, one of his Shadow Clones dispelled and he shook his head. "Well that team's a bust. An Earth scroll just like us. Though another one just dispersed that says a team just south of us has a Heaven scroll. My clone didn't view them as much of a threat, but they have what we need and they're close. About seven minutes away. Shall we go pay them a visit?" As his teammates nodded and Akamaru barked, happily wagging his tail, the team of four quickly jumped off to pay their opponents a visit.

_**Meanwhile with Sasuke's Team**_

Sasuke, Fu, and Sai were shaking uncontrollably as they fought their hardest to remain standing. The Kusa nin's killing intent was unbearable to the point they could literally see their own deaths. All three of them managed to break free after a short period of time by stabbing themselves in different body parts and quickly dived out of the way of the kunai aimed at each of their heads.

The Uchiha snarled as the kunoichi before him began to clap condescendingly. "Who the hell are you and what the hell do you think you're pulling by attacking us on your own?!" He shouted angrily as he began trying to devise a plan to deal with their enemy.

The Kusa nin glanced over at Sasuke and smirked wickedly. "Why Sasuke-kun, I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever ask. My name is Orochimaru and I'm simply here to see you. Is that so bad?" She smirked wickedly as she went through a series of hand seals faster than any of the three Genin could follow. However, instead of attacking Sasuke, she turned towards Sai and shouted: "**Futon: Daitoppa**!" In an instant, before he could even move, Sai was lifted off the ground and sent rocketing backwards into a tree, hitting it incredibly hard. Coughing, the young Genin collapsed to his knees and began to spit up a small amount of blood as he tried to recover from the attack. Glancing up, he could see Orochimaru slowly approaching him with murderous intent in his eyes.

Groaning from the immense pain he was in, Sai pulled out his scroll and ink brush and began to sketch something quickly. As soon as his drawing was finished, he shouted out the name of his technique as the animal on the scroll leapt off the page to attack and hopefully buy him some time. Looking up at their enemy, Sai watched hopefully as his ink snakes wrapped themselves around Orochimaru and restrained him. His hopeful expression didn't last long however as the powerful enemy destroyed them with a technique he didn't recognize.

As Sai prepared another drawing, Fu suddenly shot up from behind Orochimaru and attacked with her own technique. "**Hiden: Rinpungakure no Jutsu (Secret: Hiding in Scale Powder Technique)**!" she shouted as a fine, silvery powder shot out of her mouth and surrounded the area. The confusion worked to her advantage as Orochimaru soon screamed out as he was blinded by the powder. Landing before him, Fu kicked Team Sasuke's enemy as hard as she could in his chest and sent him flying towards Sasuke. As he did so, the green-haired young lass went through more hand seals.

As Orochimaru came his way, Sasuke went through hand seals of his own and quickly put his fingers to his mouth in an O shape. "**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu**!" As the fireball flew at Orochimaru, Fu shouted out her technique as well, "**Powerful Wind Wave**!" Soon a powerful blade of wind shot forth from her mouth and, despite Orochimaru's best attempt to duck out of the way of the two techniques, the jutsu collided and formed a powerful combination attack. Sasuke's team quickly leaped behind cover while their enemy was caught in the powerful jutsu, his body being torn to shreds.

Fu panted heavily and glanced out from behind her cover. "D-Did we get her?" Sasuke and Sai both shook their heads from left to right, giving her the answer she was fearful of. "If it were that easy, I doubt we'd all be shaking so much right now." Sasuke explained as he went to examine the burnt carcass lying on the forest floor in the center of the clearing. Soon, much to the disgust of everyone, the burnt carcass' stomach began to swell. Stepping back, they watched as a man burst forth from the dead Kusa nin's belly and Fu soon found herself vomiting up her lunch from earlier in the day behind some bushes. "Ugh! Gross dammit! What the hell are you?!"

Orochimaru simply chuckled and cracked his neck first to one side, then the other. "Why, I'm the Snake Sannin Orochimaru! And there's no way that you three can possibly beat me." Turning to Sasuke, the Snake Sannin smirked and began slowly walking towards him once more. "I must admit, you're better than I thought you'd be. However, you've got nothing on your dear brother Itachi. You may have fully developed your precious Sharingan, but by the time he was your age, he was already so incredibly powerful. But don't worry Sasuke-kun. I can give you power unimaginable!" Cackling madly to himself, Orochimaru nearly missed the jutsu Sasuke fired at him. "The Gokakyu no Jutsu again Sasuke-kun? Is that really all you know?"

Quickly dodging the technique, Orochimaru smirked and soon went through a few more hand seals of his own. Upon finishing, he disappeared from view and Sasuke began looking around frantically. When the realization hit him that he was trapped in a Genjutsu, the Genin Uchiha quickly acted and stabbed himself again. At this point, he heard Fu shouting at him to move and he glanced over his shoulder fearfully. Leaping away from where he was currently standing, Sasuke hit the ground and rolled along until he was crouched with his back turned to Fu. "I guess they don't call him the Snake Sannin for nothing, huh Fu, Sai? Those are some HUGE snakes. Did either of you two see where that slimy bastard went?"

Fu and Sai shook their heads, but the two soon stepped forward and combined their techniques to deal with the snake summons before things got out of hand. Fu quickly went through hand seals while Sai drew a few lions. As her teammate's ink lions charged forward, Fu shouted out: "**Fūton: Kami Oroshi (Wind Release: Godly Wind from the Mountain)**! Sasuke, mind lighting it up before it hits 'em?!" Sasuke stepped forward with a smirk and quickly went through the hand seals for another Katon jutsu. Upon finishing, he shouted out the name of his jutsu once more, "**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu**!" and sent a large fireball into the stream of wind.

While Sai's lions leapt upon the snakes to distract them temporarily, Fu's & Sasuke's jutsu combined once again to create something truly deadly. Upon reaching the snake summons, a raging fire jutsu exploded upon them and took all three of them out in one blow. Smirking, Sasuke nodded to his teammates. "Now we just need to find that slimy snake bastard and finish this." Turning around, the Uchiha didn't expect what happened next.

Orochimaru rose from the ground and chuckled darkly before his neck extended out and he began to talk. "I'm proud of you Sasuke-kun! You've demonstrated amazing skill here today, but you could be so much better. As it is, I've dallied here for far too long already. So, I now leave you with a gift. Be well little Sasuke-kun!" Extending his neck further, Orochimaru bit into Sasuke's neck before he could even react. A searing pain shot through the Uchiha's body as the Cursed Seal of Heaven appeared on his neck. As he retracted his neck, the Snake Sannin cackled maniacally as he watched his new victim collapse unconscious to the ground. Slowly, he raised his gaze to his two teammates and smirked wickedly. "When he awakens, tell him to seek me out if he desires the power to achieve his goals. Sasuke-kun will seek me out, I guarantee it." And with that, he disappeared into the forest.

Grumbling, Fu knelt down next to Sasuke and shook her head. "Hey Sai, know anything about this seal here?" She asked as her other teammate joined her in examining the curse mark. Quietly, the young man shook his head and frowned. "I'm afraid not. We'll have to get somebody to examine it when we get to the tower. For now, we need to find someplace out of sight to let him rest. We will have to protect the Uchiha in the meantime." Fu nodded and lifted Sasuke onto her back, quickly jumping off with Sai in search of a suitable hiding spot.

_**With Team 8**_

Kiba and Sakura were laughing about how pathetically easy their enemies had been. It was so easy to steal their Heaven scroll and now they couldn't help but smile about it. Soon however, Kiba and Akamaru froze and began to growl. "Naruto, Sakura…stop." As soon as his two teammates stopped, Kiba pointed down to a small clearing where they could easily see the Suna siblings. Nodding, they crept up and hid, doing their very best to hide their chakra from the Sunagakure trio. "This is a good chance to see what that Gaara guy is capable of. Let's just hope we don't get caught in the process. Right Naruto?" Kiba whispered quietly.

Naruto sighed and nodded his head calmly. "Gaara worries me. Whatever we can learn here would truly be a boon to us in the end. Now let's hush and watch." After that, Team 8 went silent and watched the battle unfold before them intently. As they watched, it became obvious real quickly that it was a completely one-sided battle and the only one of the Suna siblings fighting was Gaara. In the end, blood was splattered across the field and each of the three Ame nin lay dead around the clearing. Feeling disgusted by this, Team 8 looked away a moment and tried to calm their stomachs.

As Gaara approached Kankuro, Naruto could feel his killing intent and he practically snarled. Quickly dashing out of the bushes, Naruto punched at Gaara to keep him from harming his brother. As his hand was blocked by more of Gaara's sand, the Kyuubi Jinchuriki snarled as his eyes slowly turned to slits and reverted back into their usual blue color once more. "Your brother was only stating the truth _Gaara_! You went overboard, none of that was truly necessary! I don't know what the hell your problem is, but you need to calm the fuck down and stop with this bloodlust of yours! I don't care how damn strong you are and I don't care about your fucking sand, I'll find a way to beat you if you keep acting like this! Now…"

Turning his gaze to Temari and Kankuro, the blonde Jinchuriki smiled at the both of them and bowed his head slightly. "Are the two of you okay?" Receiving nods in return, Naruto didn't quite expect what they said next. "Naruto right? Thanks for worrying about us. We both appreciate it. You're not really like other people are you?" Kankuro asked as he watched Gaara walk a short distance from them, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Naruto. The blonde decided to ignore the young Suna ninja unless he decided to pull something. Turning to Kankuro with a smile, Naruto nodded again as his teammates stepped out from behind the bushes. "Yeah, I'm a pretty nice guy. Believe it or not, sometimes I don't even understand why I am the way I am. Most of Konoha's done pretty much nothing but treat me like crap my entire life. Most still do. You'd think I'd be some vengeful psychopath with everything they've pulled, but I have friends. Great people that I'd do anything for and I know they'd do anything for me. Aaaanyways, my point is this: despite being enemies currently and being unsure about whether or not I can trust the two of you…I'll watch over you if need be."

With a shrug of his shoulders, the blonde Genin turned to look at Gaara again and frowned. "Even…if it has to be from your own brother. You honestly don't seem so bad to me. You both seem to understand right from wrong, so letting you die just wouldn't sit right with me. Now, since both our teams have both scrolls we need, what say we don't fight and simply head to the tower okay? Together or not, it doesn't matter. I just don't want us to fight." Turning back around, Naruto saw Temari and Kankuro smiling at him and he shook their heads. "Thanks for understanding you two. Kiba, Akamaru? Are you two going to be okay until we reach the tower?"

Kiba and Akamaru nodded slowly and walked to stand beside him. "Y-Yeah. That kind of bloodlust is crazy though. Sorry Naruto, but that scares the hell out of me. I don't want to fight Gaara." Naruto nodded in understanding and gently began to pet Akamaru. "You two will be just fine, I promise dattebayo. Sakura-chan, how are you feeling?" Sakura stepped over to him and held his hand gently for a moment and breathed a heavy sigh. "B-Better now. Just let me hold your hand for a little while and I'll be fine. Okay Naruto-kun?" Naruto chuckled softly and nodded his head. "All right, we should get moving now." Everyone nodded besides Gaara and the group of seven quickly set off for the tower, though each of them was wary of the Suna Jinchuriki as they went along.

_**With Orochimaru, elsewhere in the forest**_

Orochimaru stood over his former apprentice and chuckled dryly. "Tsk, tsk, tsk Anko-chan. You should have known better than to try and challenge me. I still _control_ you remember?" Snickering to himself, he began to slowly approach her. However, before the ex-Konoha ninja could reach her, he was forced to retreat backwards from simultaneous jutsu that struck the area he had been standing. Soon both Sean and Jima appeared standing with each other on the branch with Jima kneeling next to Anko.

Orochimaru grinned and began to cackle madly as he looked at Sean. "Sean-kun! It's so great to finally meet you in person! I've heard so very, _very_ much about you. In fact, I'd say you would make the perfect host, but I've already marked the one I want and I'll take him soon enough. Still, perhaps you'd make a nice servant?" The Snake Sannin asked hopefully.

The Wind God narrowed his eyes as he summoned a wind sword into his hand. "You hurt Anko-chan. After she requested backup once it was revealed that you had shown yourself Orochimaru, Hokage-sama sent us. I care not for you or your stupid plans. As long as Konoha has people such as Jiraiya-sama, Sarutobi-sama, Kakashi-san, and more, you cannot succeed. Now, I will give you this one chance before I cut out that piece of shit you call a tongue: LEAVE!"

Orochimaru began to cackle again as he drew the Kusanagi from his throat and clutched it tight within his right hand. "Oh yes, you are a most interesting individual indeed Seanie-kun. You would make such a fine bodyguard, but I'm afraid my curse seal might not work on someone from your clan. It's such a shame too. Ah well, shall we begin dear Seanie-kun?"

Sean smirked devilishly and shook his head. "I'm amazed you haven't realized it by now Orochimaru. I'm afraid I've already begun!" Realizing what he meant, Orochimaru quickly shot out at the man before him and cut him in half, only for it to be revealed that it was a Wind Clone. Grumbling, he looked forward and saw that Anko and Jima had disappeared. Angry, Orochimaru shouted curses to the sky before he was kicked _hard_ in the back of his head.

With the Snake Sannin's head firmly planted in the tree, Sean landed behind him and chuckled darkly. "While Anko is delivered to safety, you'll have to settle for playing with me for a time Orochimaru. I hope you're prepared." With that, Sean swung his wind sword hard at Orochimaru's back, only for the body to turn into mud upon doing so. Sighing, the Wind God shook his head and chuckled dryly. "Well doesn't that just figure."

Orochimaru tried using his Sen'eijashu, but his opponent simply spun around and sliced his snakes to pieces in a matter of seconds. Growling angrily, the Snake Sannin engaged the Jonin before him in a fierce Kenjutsu battle, his Kusanagi matching Sean's wind sword practically evenly. Suddenly, the Snake Sannin shot his tongue out and wrapped it around the Wind God's throat, only to scream out in pain as he turned to wind once again and the razor sharp winds shredded part of his tongue. "You bastard! It's true what they say, trying to combat you is like trying to stop the wind itself! Sneaky punk!"

Sean appeared behind Orochimaru and chuckled softly. "Aww, is wittle Slimy-Wimey upset with big bad Sean? Why don't you and I step it up a notch Orochimaru? I know you're holding back on me. It can't possibly be this easy to fight you." Orochimaru chuckled and nodded his head. "Yes, yes. I suppose you might be right. I had hoped to simply give my message to dear Anko-chan to deliver for me, but you just had to interrupt didn't you? After I beat you, perhaps I'll carve my message into your corpse!"

Soon enough the two disappeared once again and their battle began to rage throughout the forest. Sparks flew throughout the area and the sounds of battle echoed all around. Between the two of them, their killing intent caused all animals within the vicinity to flee and all Genin teams to either pass out or run away in fear. After some time, both combatants reappeared again. Sean had gashes across his body, but he was standing strong even still. In fact, the Wind God found himself smirking as he looked upon Orochimaru's wounded body. "You'd do well to try something new Orochimaru. These cheap tricks won't help you against me!"

Nodding his head, Orochimaru began to flash through hand seals before he found himself slamming hard into the ground below. Growling angrily, he looked up only to see Sean's cousin, Jima standing right where he had just been on the tree branch up above. What infuriated him more is the fact that Sean was _laughing_ at his misfortune! "You two will pay! I don't have time to play with you freaks of nature!" Jima simply looked to her cousin and nodded slowly before they both went through hand seals of their own as Orochimaru began to prepare a jutsu of his own. In a matter of seconds, three jutsu were on a collision course, each one just as powerful as the next. "**Jūha Reppū Shō (Beast Tearing Gale Palm)**!" "**Suiton: Mizubōsō (Water Release: Rampaging Water)**!" "**Doton: Migoto Na Do Dama (Earth Release: Masterful Earthen Sphere)**!" Sean, Jima, and Orochimaru shouted respectively. The Forest of Death had just become a _very_ dangerous place to be.

**A/N: Some of you might want to complain about the two OC's fighting Orochimaru and how they might seem overpowered. So before anything comes up, here's my response to that: even together the two of them can't beat Orochimaru yet. At this point in time, their only goal is simply to stall him while doing as much damage as possible. Once Orochimaru gets serious, it won't really go the cousins' way anymore.**

**Also, yes, it seems my mind went a little wild while I was typing up the chapter and Ino has developed a crush on Sean. No need to worry though, she's way too young for him and there's nothing really planned there. ^^; **

**Anyways, I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I had great fun writing it, and I am sorry for leaving it off on a bit of a cliffhanger, but that's where I wanted to end this particular chapter. I wanted to leave you wanting more. I'll get to work on Chapter 9 when I can. I promise.**

**Again, should you have any suggestions for anything, please let me know. Thank you.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 – Orochimaru's Warning; the Preliminaries Begin!**

Sean's & Jima's jutsus merged together as they smashed into Orochimaru's earthen sphere. Orochimaru winced under the pressure of their attacks as he tried the enormous ball of earth forward. Sadly, he wasn't expecting Sean to go through a series of one-handed seals to begin another jutsu. Seeing this, the Snake Sannin's eyes widened and he watched in horror as Sean disappeared from view only to reappear by his side seconds later, shouting the name of his next technique. "**Futon: Mouretsuna Kazeno Bakuhatsu (Wind Release: Furious Wind Blasts)**!"

The Snake Sannin's eyes bulged as he suddenly felt hundreds of powerful blows striking him all over his body in a matter of seconds. When the attack finally finished, Sean thrust both fists forward and sent Orochimaru flying through the forest until he smashed hard into a tree and fell to his knees. Jima landed beside him and the two shared a glance before turning their attention back to the filthy snake. "On your feet Orochimaru. You can handle far more punishment than that, I'm sure of it."

The Snake Sannin coughed a moment and spit up on the ground, groaning in pain when he had finished. _What the hell is going on here?! The last I checked, his powers were nowhere near this level!_ Glancing over at the cousins, the Snake began to seethe as he rose once more. Quickly taking Kusanagi back into his hands, he pointed it at Sean and hissed venomously. "You…! YOU! Why the hell couldn't they just wipe out your entire fucking clan?! If I let you leave here alive…" Shaking his head, Orochimaru clenched his eyes shut and took a deep breath to calm himself down.

When the snake opened his eyes again, he smirked devilishly. "You would make such a powerful ally Sean. Oh yes. It's too bad that your loyalty lies with Konoha and that pathetic old man Sarutobi. Alas, it shan't matter too much longer. Your precious village will meet its end soon. When these exams reach their final stages, Konoha will fall." As Orochimaru's smirk grew, he stared at Sean and Jima for a moment longer before he began to cackle hysterically. "You're a special one Sean-kun. That cousin of yours there may not know your secret, but I do. Ohhh yes, I know sooo much about you young man. And…I know something else too."

Using a shunshin, he appeared at Sean's side and leaned in close, whispering to him. As he did, Sean could feel Orochimaru's breath on his skin and grimaced as he prepared to continue the fight. "I know not only _who_ your parents are, but I know _where_ they are too." The slippery Snake Sannin jumped back out of the way of Sean's punch only to laugh hysterically at him. "Ah yes, that anger. That fury on your face! Come Sean-kun, show me what you've _really_ got. But do leave your cousin out of this, I'm afraid she'll just get in the way and you wouldn't want to see her hurt now…would you?"

Sean clenched and unclenched his fists numerous times as he tried to reign in his emotions. Taking a few calming breaths, the young Wind God looked to his cousin and smiled calmly at her. "Jima…I suggest you step back. It seems like he's taking things seriously now and I'd prefer it if you stayed back juuust in case. Y'know…in case one of us needs to be healed by the time this is over. I don't know how to do any of that medical jutsu crap." Chuckling nervously, he looked away to avoid the deep scowl on her face.

Sighing when she was about to argue, Sean went through a series of quick hand seals and put his hand to just inches away from her chest. "**Futon: Daitoppa**." Sean spoke calmly and watched as a powerful gust of wind sent her flying away from him. Smirking a bit, he knew she'd be pissed at him for sending her away like that, but right now he wanted to keep her safe from harm. Turning his gaze to Orochimaru once more, the young man nodded with a small grin. "There, now that she's out of harm's way…we can begin."

_**Elsewhere in the Forest**_

The members of Team 10 had just found a place to rest for the night. They planned to continue on in the morning. For now the team simply focused on setting up for the night and deciding shifts on who would keep watch and what the plan would be for tomorrow and so on. Of course, when they felt the entire forest shake again, they groaned. "What the hell is going on out there?!" Ino shouted angrily as she stood up and looked around trying to pinpoint the source of all the trouble.

Shikamaru frowned and rose to stand beside her. "I don't know, but haven't you felt it Ino? Think about it. The wind that keeps knocking us around, the sounds of battle taking place in the distance, the immense killing intent and that powerful chakra? Those wind jutsu are some of those we've seen…"

Before he could finish, Ino's eyes widened in realization. "Sean-sensei! Do you think Sean-sensei's in the forest right now?! But…why? And who could he possibly be battling so furiously Shikamaru?! What do you think's going on?"

Shikamaru sighed and shook his head. "I don't see why you think I'd know Ino. Without knowing the facts or even being able to witness the battle or even knowing who his opponent might be, I can't really tell you anything. I can tell you this though: if this battle goes on for much longer the entire damn forest could end up being destroyed. Whatever's going on, it's obvious that it can't be good."

Choji grumbled as another strong blast of wind sent his bag of chips flying out of his hands and into Ino's hair. She was fuming now, but she at least understood that it wasn't his fault. Doing what he could to help her clean out her hair again, the young Akimichi shook his head. "It's getting out of hand. Heck, I know you probably want to go see what's going on Ino, I do too. But we'd only cause trouble if we tried to get closer."

Shikamaru nodded calmly and glanced in the direction of the battle. "I think we should be safe here for the night, but we shouldn't try to set up camp. I hope you'll be okay sleeping on the rough ground Ino, Choji. With these winds, anything we try to set up will only be blown away, I'm sure of it. I'll take first watch and wake you both if we need to move away. Ino, you'll take second watch. I'll wake you up when it's time for you to take over. For now, you should be able to rest peacefully under the shade of the tree there." Seeing his teammates nod, the young Nara watched them walk off to get what sleep they could before he turned to look off in the direction of the battle once more. _Sean-sensei, what the hell are you up to? You've been fighting over there for over a half hour now!_

_**Back with Sean & Orochimaru**_

Orochimaru cackled as he pelted Sean with another jutsu. The screams coming from his opponent were a delight for him to hear. "Tsk tsk tsk Seanie-kun, you're getting sloppy. Are you getting tired so soon? I thought you had so much more in you than that." At the look on his opponent's face, the Snake Sannin laughed even louder.

Sean smirked and waved good-bye as he faded away into wind once more, much to Orochimaru's displeasure. "Another fucking Wind Clone?! Dammit, where the hell is the _real_ you Sean?!" Orochimaru shouted out as he glanced around with the Kusanagi clutched tight in his right hand. At the moment, the Snake Sannin's left arm was hanging limply at his side and he couldn't even lift it to use jutsu for the moment. His left eye was also shut tight as blood from his head had trickled into it long ago in the fight. The Snake Sannin's body was suffering from numerous wounds, but he also knew Sean was in similar shape.

The Jonin sensei soon reappeared again and slammed his fist into the side of Orochimaru's face, using his current blind spots to his advantage as he knocked the Snake Sannin around in the hopes he could continue to hold him here until the Hokage showed up. Both of them had sensed it minutes ago, the Hokage and those he brought with him were currently rushing towards the location of the battle. Of course, Sean's vision was blurry, one of his eyes was shut tight, his right leg had numerous gashes in it and his chest was burned badly. As such, Sean was really pushing himself just to stay standing and keep fighting his opponent.

Orochimaru gripped Sean's fist tightly and soon crushed the bones in fury. As Sean's screams echoed throughout the area, the Snake Sannin narrowed his eyes and kicked the Jonin away from him. When Sean crashed into a tree, forming a rather sizable impact crater as he did, the Snake shunshined over to him and slammed his knee into the man's chest _hard_. "I've played with you for far too long. I need to get out of here. Before I leave however, allow me to leave you with a few parting words." Leaning in close, Orochimaru jabbed the Kusanagi deep into Sean's stomach, pinning him to the tree. "This message was meant for dear Anko-chan to deliver, but you'll serve as my messenger instead. Do _not_ allow these exams to stop prematurely. Should the Hokage call off these exams, I'll raze this village to the ground and take my dear 'prize' with me. I had fun little Seanie-kun, but I'm afraid it's time for me to go." Ripping his sword from Sean's body, Orochimaru disappeared from the area and let Sean fall to the branch in agony.

Seconds later, Jima appeared kneeling beside him and quickly began to tend to her brother's wounds with her medical jutsu. As she did this, Hiruzen and his guards appeared and frowned at all the destruction before their gazes landed on Sean and Jima. "Will he live Jima?" Seeing her nod slowly, the Hokage breathed out a sigh of relief and shook his head. "What happened here?"

Jima shook her head and frowned. "We entered the forest together as per your orders to investigate and came across Orochimaru attacking Anko-san. Sean and I rescued her, and I took her away. I'm sure you already spoke with her and her doctors, and from the look on your face I can tell she's going to be all right. That's good. After delivering her to the edge of the forest where she was taken from me to get help, I returned to assist my brother in restraining Orochimaru. At the time, it appeared as if the battle was going well and was going in our favor, but our opponent still wasn't taking the two of us very seriously. The destruction you see all around you…most of this was caused when our jutsus clashed."

The Hokage nodded and glanced around with a deep frown on his face. "The battle must have been fierce. I don't see my old student around…I'm going to assume he escaped?" When Jima nodded, Hiruzen shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he did. "I'm going to have to call off the Chunin Exams. If Orochimaru's here, it's not safe to continue any longer. He's too big a threat. Not just to us, but to these poor young Genin as well. I won't just let him harm these young folk." Turning, the Hokage prepared to give his orders when he felt a hand grip his leg tight. Looking back down, everyone's eyes went wide as they saw Sean staring up at them.

"Don't. O-Orochimaru…gave me a warning." Now lying on his back, Sean stared into the sky and tried to calm his breathing. For the most part he was now just fine, but his sister could only heal him so much. The rest would have to be tended to by the staff at the hospital. "He promised that if we cancel the exams…he'll burn our village to the ground. Orochimaru infiltrated the exams for a reason Hokage-sama…I…I think I know why." Looking up into Hiruzen's eyes, Sean coughed a moment and shook his head. "I think he's after the Uchiha b-brat. He kept referring to a prize of some kind…it would make sense. With how obsessed Orochimaru is with power, jutsu, and with all we know of him…that's the most logical conclusion I can come up with. He…he also said…he knew things about me. I couldn't extract any information about my family or the secrets he apparently knows about my clan…but he knows. I'm not sure how, but he does…"

Hiruzen knelt down and gently brushed his fingers through Sean's hair. "I understand. Just rest for now Sean. I'm not sure if you know of this or not, but…" Before he could continue, the group sensed some chakra signatures below them and turned to look at three young Genin. Frowning as they were easily recognized, Hiruzen shunshined down to greet them as Jima and the others helped Sean down to the ground. "Naruto-kun, Sakura, Kiba, what are you doing out here? I would have thought you three would have already been well on your way to the tower by now."

As the Genin of Team 8 laid eyes on the wounded individual behind them, Naruto quickly brushed by his Hokage and ran over to Sean. "Sean-sensei! What the hell happened to you?! I knew it! I told you guys, I knew it was Sean-sensei!" His teammates nodded and soon turned to Jima and the Hokage for answers. "We did acquire our second scroll easily Hokage-sama. We were on our way to the tower when we felt the pressure…the intensity of a battle nearby. We told the Suna siblings to go on ahead and we'd join them later and we soon dashed her as fast as we could. Please Hokage-sama, tell us what happened."

The Hokage rubbed the bridge of his nose again and shook his head as he slowly came to a decision. "Fine, I'll tell you what I can. Jima-san, please bring Sean here. He can rest as soon as we've allayed their fears." Jima nodded with a "Yes, Hokage-sama." And soon helped her cousin over to sit beside the Hokage. Sean's hand still rested over his stomach, and everyone could see the extent of his injuries much clearer now that the moonlight was shining upon him.

Hearing his students' gasps, Sean looked at them and smiled softly. "Anko-san…was attacked. Jima and I entered the forest per Hokage-sama's orders after receiving your note from Ibiki-san, Naruto-kun." Reaching over, he gently ruffled up the blonde's spiky hair with a smile. "Hokage-sama had his suspicions…and when Jima and I found Anko, she was under attack by Orochimaru." At this, Sakura's and Naruto's eyes widened and he nodded slowly. "Yes, _that_ Orochimaru. The legendary Snake Sannin."

Sakura was shaking as she stared at him in horror. "Sensei…you didn't…?" Chuckling for a moment, Sean soon found himself wincing as he clutched at his stomach again. "Ugh, damn it that hurts. Yes, I fought Orochimaru Sakura." She looked about ready to slap him for his foolishness, but Naruto stopped her. "Jima took Anko-chan to safety. In that time, I engaged Orochimaru for some time until she returned to my side. We fought against him for a short time after that and…this huge crater we're all now in…is the result of our jutsu colliding. I would have let Jima continue to fight by my side…but Orochimaru…"

Wincing again, the Wind God fell on his back and began to laugh lightly. "Oh damn this crap hurts! That damn snake bastard was pissed. We hurt him…we actually hurt the Snake Sannin with some of our attacks. Holy damn was he pissed! I kept pushing him to get serious..." Shaking his head, Sean slapped a hand over his eyes and began to laugh again despite his pain. "I knew I didn't stand a chance, and I kept antagonizing him. I didn't expect for him to…to know things…"

At this, everyone's eyes were on him, watching him curiously, though most were still worried about him. "The Snake Sannin knows who my parents are. He knows about my clan. He knows something about me…that I don't know. He threatened Jima…he wanted to fight me one-on-one…so I shot Jima away and gave him what he wanted. It was stupid of me, I know…but hey, can you really blame me? Orochimaru could have killed the both of us easily if he really wanted to. I knew he was serious about harming…even _killing_ Jima if she got in the way. There's something about me he 'likes' it seems. The shit he said…"

Shaking his head again, Sean let his arms fall to his sides and he just stared up at the stars and the moon, a frown on his face now. "He said that if I was younger, he'd gladly give me a curse mark and proclaim me as his next host or something. Orochimaru would've been happy to make me one of his elite bodyguards. All kinds of crap, it doesn't fucking matter right now. He's already marked who he wants, that's for certain. I hurt him in that battle. But he'll recover soon enough, I'm sure. He can't do anything to us for a little while until he's recovered fully though…" Groaning, Sean sat up and looked up at the Hokage once more. "We can't call off the exams. He really will destroy our village. Aside from that…I have a feeling he might do something else as well if I failed to convince you…"

Jima frowned at this and nodded her head. "It wouldn't surprise me if he went after your parents for failing to do what he wanted." Sean glanced into her eyes a moment and nodded his head. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I don't know whether he'd succeed in actually harming them or not, but I'd rather not risk it. For all I know, he'd take them and use them in some sick, twisted experiments." Shivering at that, Sean shook his head again and stared directly at Naruto. "Everybody…I think he gave Sasuke that precious curse mark of his."

The Genin were confused, while each of the adults stared at him wide-eyed. Nodding slowly, he looked up at Hiruzen and smiled sadly at him. "It might be a good idea to keep the brat under close watch during the rest of these exams. When his team reaches the towers…somebody's going to have to examine him and do something if he really _does_ have that accursed mark on him."

Hiruzen nodded and then looked down to the Genin of Team 8. "It's obvious that you are confused right now, but I'm afraid I can't speak on this matter with you anymore. All that you have heard is NOT to be revealed to any of your fellow Genin. Don't speak about the events that transpired here to ANYONE without my permission. Understood?" The three Genins of Team 8 all nodded while Akamaru barked in affirmation. "Good. Now, you might want to find some place to camp for the night and finish making your way to the tower in the morning. If you happen to come across Sasuke's team before you reach the tower, I want you to observe him for a time. If you see anything suspicious, anything at all, I want you to memorize everything and hurry to the tower as fast as possible. I will meet you there later to hear your report on whatever may transpire in between now and then that involves Sasuke. Understand?" Again the Genin squad of Team 8 nodded their heads. "You are dismissed. For now, I need to go discuss things with the Council. In the meantime, Jima, Cat, I want you to take Sean-kun to the hospital. Cat, I want you to stay with him and inform me when he's ready to be discharged from the hospital. Jima, I want you to inform me after Sean's been treated so that I know if Orochimaru did ANYTHING else to him that we don't know about. Now, all of you are dismissed. Go!"

In a flash, Jima and Cat disappeared with Sean while the Genin of Team 8 bowed and disappeared into the forest once more to find a safe place to rest for the night. Letting out a deep sigh, Hiruzen turned to his guards and nodded before the rest of the group shunshined out of the area to return to the Hokage Tower to get things underway.

_**The Next Morning – Forest of Death – Team Sasuke**_

Fu rubbed her eyes as she stared off into the forest from where she was sitting. For hours now she had been standing guard of her sleeping teammates. Sai had stood watch for a time, but Sasuke had yet to awaken. Shrugging her shoulders, she looked out and groaned. _There are people out there watching us right now. I suppose I'd best wake Sai…_ Glancing back, Fu quickly moved back to her teammate and shook him awake. Kneeling, she put a hand over her mouth and whispered to Sai as quietly as she could. "We're being watched. It'd be a good idea to get ready for a fight."

Sai nodded and calmly gathered his things. Together with Fu, the two of them stepped out into the clearing and glanced around. Fu groaned and ran her hand through her mint green hair. "All right, let's get this over with. Whoever the hell's out there watching us, come out and let's get this over with." When the team from Oto jumped out, all three appearing ready for battle, she found herself smirking. "Ahh, the crappy team from Oto. A no-name village with no-name shinobi. Tell me, what are you after, really?"

The three twitched angrily at her insults before Dosu stepped forward and shook his head. "We've got orders to kill the Uchiha. Step aside and we may just let you live Girly." Soon his two teammates stepped forward as well, wicked smirks on their faces.

Fu glanced at Sai and sighed. "What the hell's so special about that jackass? Throughout this village, people freaking obsess over him. Then that Orochimaru dumbass shows up wanting to see his precious 'Sasuke-kun', now these guys show up with orders to kill him? Sasuke sucks! Naruto-kun is so much cooler!" Fu complained before she turned to see the three Oto Genin eyeing her weirdly. Letting out a heavy, drawn-out sigh, Fu shook her head and sulked. "Fine, fine…you want Sasuke right? Well too damn bad. As much as I hate the jerk, I'm stuck on the guy's team and I'd personally like to become a Chunin with Naruto-kun. So, you idiots know what that means right? In order to become a Chunin, I need lame-o back there intact. So why don't you go tell your precious boss, whomever the hell he or she might be, to shove his dick up his ass and go to hell?!"

Sai looked at her confused for a moment and decided to voice his concern about something she said. "Fu-san, what if their boss is a girl? Unless the woman happens to have a dick of her own somehow, what is she supposed to do?" Fu's left eyebrow twitched dangerously and she glared at Sai. "Just shut the hell up Sai! For all I care one of those two dingbats can lend her theirs! Okay?!" Sai nodded, seemingly satisfied with that answer before the two turned back to the bewildered Oto trio.

"You two are very…odd. You know that?" Kin questioned as she took out some of her senbon and prepared herself for a fight. Fu and Sai glanced towards each other again and then back at the Oto Genin and nodded slowly. "Yeah, he's a freaky jerk and I'm on the wrong damn team. I wanted to be on the same team as Naruto-kun, but they stuck me with Jackass and Freaky here!" The Oto Genin all sweatdropped at this little outburst before they regained their composure and prepared to attack.

Fu looked to Sai and nodded. "Sai, you deal with the mummy freak there and I'll take on the other two. Careful, you saw what that thing on his arm can do back before the first test started. Not sure what the other two can do though, so I'll have to be careful too. I doubt they've got anything on that Orochimaru guy though." Sai nodded and quickly unfurled his scroll, beginning to draw something on it while the Oto Genin moved in to attack.

_**Meanwhile…**_

Team 10 watched from cover as the fight began between the Oto Genin and Sasuke's teammates. Shikamaru told his teammates to hold on so they could observe everyone's abilities first, but Ino didn't like it one bit. Fu was one of her friends for crying out loud and she wanted to jump in and help! Of course, at the moment it seemed that the two opponents she was currently fighting couldn't do anything to her at all. However, the mummy-boy fighting Sai was another matter. He kept destroying Sai's ink creatures with some kind of technique that she hadn't heard of before and now had Sai on the defensive.

Choji went from watching the fight to watching his two teammates. The look on Shikamaru's face had him wondering what was on his best friend's mind. However, upon hearing a scream, everyone quickly looked back to the fight. Fu was hurt! Choji blinked in astonishment. _Now how in the hell did that happen?! What did I miss?_ Meanwhile, Ino was clenching her fists tight, wanting nothing more than to hop in right now, but she didn't want to jump in without her team being ready to do jump into battle with her.

Shikamaru frowned deeply as he thought about the abilities of these strange opponents from Oto. But more than that, he was trying to figure out another small mystery. _That Kabuto guy said Oto was a new village that he didn't have any information on, didn't he? But the way Naruto reacted upon reading that card Kabuto had on him combined with the information he had on Lee and Gaara…he must have information on that village, including who the leader is. Naruto wasn't the only one suspicious of him, I think we all were. Our senseis taught us to look underneath the underneath to see the truth of things. If I had to guess, I'd say Kabuto's linked to what Fu said a moment ago. In fact, all three of these strange events are probably connected._

Rubbing the back of his head as something of a nervous habit, the Nara heir shook his head and sighed deeply. _Kabuto's knowledge, Orochimaru's appearance, and these strange Oto Genin and their orders to kill Sasuke. From what Fu-san said, Orochimaru targeted Sasuke. If I had to take it even further than that, I bet it's safe to assume that the Sannin did something to Sasuke as he has yet to emerge from the tree. Knowing that arrogant prick, he'd jump at the chance for a battle so there's no way he'd miss this if he was well. And these Oto Genin…they clearly aren't here to become Chunin. After all, they've already revealed that they've been ordered to _kill_ Sasuke. Then…_

Grumbling, Shikamaru looked back at the battle before him and shook his head. "Ino, Choji…I need to ask these Genin something. We're entering the battle _now_!" He ordered, and in an instant they moved onto the field. Smirking slightly, he quickly used his Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Imitation Technique) to entrap Zaku before he could use his jutsu again to hurt Fu further. As Zaku struggled to move, Shikamaru turned him so he could gaze upon his partner, Kin. "Careful. If you don't want your teammate to lose her life, you'll answer my questions. But first, call off your friend over there or I'll let Choji let loose and your friend won't like that one bit."

Zaku found himself smirking as he glanced at Shikamaru. "Go ahead, kill the bitch. It's not like we're friends anyways you idiot. As for Dosu? Your fat ass teammate can't do shit to him. Dosu could easily kick his ass." At hearing this, Choji twitched angrily and began to fume. "What the hell did you just call me?!" Zaku began to laugh at that. "What's wrong Fat Ass? Can't handle being insulted about your weight? How can somebody as fat as you possibly pass for a ninja? What're you gonna do? Sit on us?!"

Zaku's laughter only grew louder as he made fun of Choji more and more. When he suddenly found himself on the wrong end of a rather powerful strike that hit him from seemingly nowhere, Zaku groaned in agony as he again began to struggle against Shikamaru's Kagemane no Jutsu. "Y-You bastard!" Zaku shouted at Choji, who again punched him hard in the face, this time clearly breaking his nose. Before Zaku could say another word, Choji punched him hard in the stomach and sent him tumbling along the ground.

As the Oto Genin rose to his feet, he prepared to attack with a Zankūha (Decapitating Airwaves), everyone froze when they heard an agonizing cry coming from nearby. Glancing over, they saw Dosu standing over Sai, who was currently curled up on the ground in tremendous pain. Whatever the mummy guy had just done, Sai was in agony! Zaku smirked and shook his head. "Sure took your sweet time, didn't you Dosu?"

Dosu grumbled and turned his attention to Fu. "And you two got your asses kicked by Mintie here and her new friends. Don't you go giving me any problems Zaku." Before anyone could do anything, Dosu dashed straight for Kin and swung his gauntlet at her face, slamming her to the ground and giving her a dose of what he just gave Sai moments ago. Ino instantly retreated to her own body and groaned. "That hurts…"

Shikamaru and Choji both appeared at their teammate's side and helped her up. "You all right Ino?" When she nodded, they both smiled and returned their attention to the Oto Genin. The female rose and glared hatefully at her teammates. "What the hell is wrong with you two?! Telling them to go ahead and kill me?! Even _attacking_ me?! Fuck you! You're both assholes!" Kin shouted at the two of them. It pissed her off even more when Dosu and Zaku just laughed at her.

As everyone prepared to battle again, they all suddenly froze when they felt a malevolent chakra very nearby. Turning to see the source, they saw Sasuke stepping out of the hollow tree, glaring at each of them as strange markings spread across his skin. "Ahhh, the Uchiha finally joins us. Maybe we'll actually have more fun with you." Zaku smirked, but soon blinked in confusion when Sasuke suddenly smirked at him in turn.

"Which of you hurt my teammates?" Sasuke asked in a dark voice as he looked upon everyone in the small clearing. Dosu was shaking, but Zaku simply began to laugh. "Oh? Does the great Sasuke actually care about his teammates? Go figure, even he's a stupid softy. I hurt the green bitch there. My buddy Dosu easily crushed your puny artist there. What're you gonna do about it, eh punk?" Zaku stated with a smug grin on his face.

Everyone stared in horror as Sasuke appeared in front of Zaku with his knee in the boy's chest. Zaku stumbled backwards, coughing up blood as tears stung his eyes. Before he could move or even retaliate, Sasuke was behind him with his foot planted on his back and both of his arms clutched tightly in the Uchiha's hands. The Oto Genin began to scream in anguish as Sasuke soon pulled both of his arms out of their sockets before kicking him forward into the dirt. He then turned his attention to Dosu with a wide grin on his face.

As Sasuke prepared to dish out similar punishment to the mummy boy, Team 8 appeared in the clearing and Sasuke was slammed into the ground by a familiar blonde-haired young man. Meanwhile, Sakura was checking on everybody's wounds and Kiba and Akamaru had Dosu pinned to the ground unable to move or even attack. "Sasuke, stop this crap this instant! You'll end up killing them if you keep on like this! You've also got everyone here terrified out of their minds! I don't know what the hell happened to you…" _Man that's a lie._ He thought silently for a brief moment before continuing. "But! I'll be damned if I let you go on a rampage and hurt the people I care for."

Sasuke struggled to break free of Naruto's grip. "Let go Dobe! Or do you WANT me to kill you?!" At hearing this, Naruto sighed and let him go, mere seconds before he slammed Sasuke in the face with another powerful punch. Reeling back in pain, Sasuke felt the power leaving him and he shook his head. "Gah! Fuck you Dobe! You know what? I'll wait. I'll wait until I meet you in the next round and I'll kick your ass there." Turning, Sasuke glanced at Dosu and pointed. "Hand over your scroll and then you and your friends get lost!"

Dosu groaned and looked to Kiba who let him up. Standing up, the mummy boy slowly dug through his pouches and pulled out a scroll. "I don't give a shit about Kin, but I'd rather not keep up this fight. Not with you going bat shit crazy and team after team appearing to cause more trouble for us." Tossing the scroll to Sasuke, he turned to the blonde kid and frowned. _You're the one Kabuto warned us to be wary of earlier. I'll take his word for it and leave you alone…for now._ With a shrug of his shoulders, Dosu went to Zaku and helped him up. "Kin, Zaku, we're leaving."

Dosu left with Zaku immediately after saying that, but Kin sat there just staring at everyone for a moment longer as she pondered what she should do. _Those two might just kill me given the opportunity. Neither one of them actually tried to _help _me. And yet, if I don't go with them…what'll happen to me?_ Kin sighed heavily and decided to follow them. Right as she was about to leave, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning, she saw the blonde kid and his friends looking at her concerned. "W-What do you want?"

Naruto chuckled softly and shook his head. "Y'know, going with them seems pretty stupid to me. We were watching everything for a while and I saw what they did to you. You might be better off just sticking with one of these teams here for now. You'd certainly be _safer_, that's for sure." Patting her shoulder, Naruto turned to look at everyone for a moment before looking back at her and offering her a hand for a handshake. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki. What's your name?"

Kin stared at him, completely baffled by his behavior. "You _do_ know you're talking with an enemy right now…right?" Naruto simply shrugged and smiled at her some more. Sighing, Kin shook her head and shook his hand. "My name is Kin Tsuchi. You do have a point about those jerks, I'll give you that. Sadly, they're my teammates and I can't…really go against them." Naruto frowned at that and leaned in close to whisper to her. "Lemme guess…Orochimaru?" Kin's eyes widened at this and Naruto nodded his head. "Thought as much. Want my opinion on something?"

Kin frowned and stared at him, simply giving him a look that urged him to go on and spit it out. "Orochimaru wanted to send you and your team to the teme over there to test out the power he had bestowed on him. Yeah, I know, and no, I can't tell you _how_ I know. Your master didn't exactly intend for you three to live, I'm pretty certain of that." Kin sighed at that and lowered her head. "Yeah…I kinda figured as much. Hell, my own teammates will probably kill me if given the chance. They think I'm useless."

Naruto frowned at that and gently patted her on the shoulders again. "Well, don't listen to them. I'm not sure what you're capable of, but everybody's good at something. So buck up and make some new friends. I think you'd do well here in Konoha Kin." Grinning at her, he turned to his friends and nodded. "What do you guys think?"

Shikamaru sighed and shook his head in disbelief. "Naruto, you still manage to surprise me. But yes, she'd be far better off here as long as she didn't try to kill any of us. But do you really think Orochimaru's going to be happy with one of his subordinates just leaving like this?" Naruto laughed and shook his head. "Figures you'd have figured it out already Shika. You always were smarter than me." Shikamaru smirked and nodded his head. "Yes, but you're also quite the genius yourself Naruto. Don't sell yourself short." Naruto blushed a bit and rubbed the back of his head while muttering a thank you to his friend.

Ino sighed and grumbled angrily. "She hurt Fu-chan. I don't know how I'd feel if she chose to join Konoha, but I do trust your judgment Naruto. You're a friend and you usually make some pretty good decisions. Your teammates seem to agree with you, but I dunno how Fu-chan's going to feel about this." Glancing at Choji for a moment, Ino sighed. "And Choji seems to agree with you just like Shikamaru. Ah what the hell, I'll accept her too if Fu-chan can forgive her."

Fu rose and shook her head to clear her head. "Ugh. Despite the pain I'm in…if Naruto-kun is choosing to place his trust in her then I will too. Though I do expect a damn apology _Kin_." Glaring over at the girl, Kin found herself giggling a bit before she bowed. "I do apologize to you Fu-san. And to you as well Artist-san, even if I'm not the one who attacked you personally. And…if your Hokage will have me, I think I will take you up on the offer Naruto-san." Smiling at him, Kin nodded and gently shook his hand again.

Naruto smiled at her and nodded his head. "Don't worry. Despite everything, I think you'll be safe from Orochimaru-teme here. That…that asshole hurt Sean-sensei…" Despite speaking that last part quietly, Ino somehow heard him and was on him in an instant. "Sean's hurt?! How?! What happened?! Is he okay?!" Naruto was wide-eyed as he stared at Ino. She was shaking him back and forth numerous times and he was starting to feel sick. He was therefore quite thankful when Fu and Sakura pulled her back and hushed her. "Sean-sensei will be fine…but Orochimaru-teme really hurt him bad. Sean…saved Anko-sensei and protected Jima-san. He fought him one-on-one and hurt Orochimaru badly apparently, but it just wasn't enough. He…knows things about Sean-sensei. I wasn't supposed to say anything to anyone…but damn it I just don't care! Just don't say anything to the other teams okay Ino? Sean-sensei will be okay, I promise. But some of what Orochimaru said and did…it's affecting him deeply. He may not have shown exactly how he was feeling when I saw him, but I could tell. Orochimaru…knows who Sean-sensei's parents are…and even _where_ they are apparently. More than that though…he knows something about Sean-sensei that even HE doesn't know it seems. It's really bothering him. You can talk to Sean-sensei later Ino. Okay?"

Ino nodded slowly and looked to the forest floor. Before she could speak though, Sasuke was gripping Naruto's shoulder and glaring harshly at him. "Why the hell would that snake bastard stay in the forest like that?! First he attacked us, then that asshole friend of yours that attacked me in Wave?! What the hell does he want with him?!" Ino slapped Sasuke hard at this, much to everyone's surprise. "Don't you dare insult Sean-sensei! He's a really kind man and he risked his life to try and stop a SANNIN of all people! Do you realize how dangerous that is?! Even for him?!" Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her, but she didn't back down. Finally he sighed in defeat and turned away. "I can't understand any of this. Forget it. Fu, Sai, let's go. Sakura's already helped the two of you and I want to get away from her. We've got the scrolls we needed, so let's go to the fucking tower." Without even waiting for confirmation from his team, the Uchiha was off.

Fu grumbled and shook her head as Sai dashed off to follow after Sasuke. "I'll see you later Naruto-kun, okay?" Walking over, she kissed him on the cheek before dashing off. Sakura was fuming at this, but she calmed down upon seeing him chuckling. The blush on his face was bothering her, but the pink-haired kunoichi walked over and gently held his hand. "We should be going soon too Naruto-kun. Kin-san, would you like to accompany us to the tower, or will you help Ino's team? Whatever you decide is fine."

Kin looked to Sakura for a moment before looking to Ino and smiling softly. "I…don't really know what I want to do. Your team obviously has both scrolls, so…maybe I should help their team?" Kin offered with a shrug. Ino looked at her and grumbled, but Shikamaru and Choji both looked at her. They would leave this decision up to her. Sighing angrily, Ino nodded her head. "We could get one on our own pretty easily, but the help would be appreciated. Sure Kin, you're welcome to come along. But please follow orders and do as we instruct okay? As you can no doubt see, Shikamaru here is a genius and his plans are _amazing_. He's the strategist of the group and with his plans, we'll get a scroll in no time and then the four of us can be off to the tower together. Okay?" When Kin nodded, Ino looked to her friends and smiled sweetly. "See you at the tower later, okay Naruto, Sakura, Kiba?" And with that, Team 10 was off with Kin vanishing along with them.

Chuckling to himself, Naruto grinned at his teammates as he petted Akamaru on the head. "Let's go guys. We need to get to the tower and finish this test. Then we can report to Jiji when he gets there." Receiving nods from them, Team 8 disappeared from the clearing to begin the trek to the tower.

_**At the Konoha Hospital – Sean's Room**_

Yugao sat at the side of Sean's bed, gently brushing the back of his right hand with her thumb. _I'm amazed Sean-san. It's amazing that you were able to wound Orochimaru and _live_! But you…you haven't woken yet. You're burning up for some reason. Did what he say affect you this badly? Anko-san has been by twice already. You've probably no idea how worried she is for you. I'm even worried about you. You're a dear friend Sean. All the conversations we had…you're so kind. And now this happens to you? I hope you'll be okay._

After a few more minutes, Sean began to groan as his eyes slowly opened a bit. Looking to Yugao, he smiled softly and gently squeezed her hand back. "Hey there Yugao-chan. G-Good to see you. Where am I?" Yugao smiled softly and gently squeezed his hand back. "You're in the hospital Sean. The doctors said you aren't well enough to leave yet. You'll probably be here until the current test is over. They think you'll be well enough to leave then. I'll be here until you're discharged from the hospital Sean, so be sure to get plenty of rest okay?"

Sean nodded with a smile and closed his eyes again. "Yeah. That…sounds good. I feel like crap." Yugao blinked when she noticed a few tears stream down his cheeks. Blinking, she reached up with her free hand and gently wiped them away with her fingers. "Hey, why are you crying Sean? Are you okay?"

The Jonin sensei nodded slowly. "Yes. I'm just…thinking. Why does a slime ball like Orochimaru know about my family? Know about ME? As long as he knows who and where they are…they aren't safe. I can't even be sure Jima-chan's safe with him around. I feel…useless. I hate this feeling."

Frowning, Yugao gently pinched his cheek and smiled as he complained. "Stop that Sean. You _aren't_ useless. You pulled something off that not many could have. You nearly held Orochimaru there until we arrived. It's a shame that he left just moments before, but you did your very best. And from what you've said, you hurt him pretty badly too. That's quite the feat believe it or not. In fact, you're lucky to even be alive. Jima-san is fine, and your parents will be all right too. I'm sure of it." Leaning closer, she placed a gentle kiss upon his forehead, effectively making him blush brightly. "If you dare tell _anyone_ I did that…I'll castrate you. Understand me?"

Sean nodded fervently, but soon groaned as he closed his eyes again. "I have such a headache right now. But…yes, I understand. I won't tell your darling Hayate-kun or anyone else, I promise." Smiling at her as he opened his eyes again, he couldn't help but feel good that Yugao was smiling at him again. "You're a good person Yugao-chan. A fantastic friend that anybody would be lucky to have. Now…I think I'll just get a little more sleep…" Nodding slowly, Sean yawned softly before slowly drifting off to sleep again.

Yugao chuckled softly and gently brushed his hair out of his face, tucking it gently behind his ears. Soon she rested a hand on his cheek and smiled. "Rest well Sean. Everything will be just fine." Nodding her head affirmatively, she soon turned to see Anko standing in the doorway again with a soft smile on her face which quickly morphed into a frown. "Yes, he was just awake, and yes, you missed your chance to speak to him. You picked a really terrible time to rush off to get some dango for the both of you. I'm sorry Anko-san." Seeing her friend pouting and cursing her bad luck, Yugao laughed quietly and returned to watch her sleeping friend.

_**At the Tower**_

"Iruka-sensei, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked, blinking a few times as he stared at one of his best friends in complete bewilderment. When Iruka smiled brightly at him and pulled the young man into a tight hug, Naruto just hugged him back gently and started smiling as he clung to Iruka. "It's good to see you're all right Naruto-kun. You and your team have done wonderfully so far. You've passed the second test."

Naruto nodded slowly as he stepped back to look up at Iruka curiously. "You still haven't answered my question. What're you doing here?" He asked again. Iruka sighed at his ex-student's impatience. "As you and your team have no doubt surmised, Naruto, these scrolls together were meant to summon me straight here upon the moment you opened them both after arriving at the tower. I actually requested that I be the one to congratulate you instead of your sensei, Kurenai-san. She agreed to let me be the one, and Hokage-sama agreed with the idea as well. I really care for you Naruto-kun, and I'm really glad you've passed the second stage of the exams. I've heard the situation from Hokage-sama and I've been asked to inform you that he will be here in a matter of hours to debrief you. In the meantime, why don't you and your teammates find a room and relax?"

Nodding with smiles, the three Genin thanked him and rushed off. Soon after they left, Iruka shook his head and frowned. "I'm glad you're all well, but what happened to your sensei must be troubling you Naruto-kun. I hope everything will be okay." With a sigh, he went off to take care of a few things.

_**Shortly after finding a room…**_

Team 8 set their things down and settled in to relax a bit. Soon, both Sakura and Kiba were looking towards Naruto. "What are we going to tell Hokage-sama Naruto?" Sakura soon frowned and walked over, hugging him gently as she rested her head lightly on his shoulder. "Are you going to be okay Naruto-kun? You must be worried still, huh?"

Naruto sighed softly and closed his eyes, gently patting Sakura's hands. "Yeah. I've…got a bad feeling. I don't think Sean-sensei's doing well. He's one of my most precious people and I feel…connected to him in a way. I can't help but worry about him right now." Then, glancing to Kiba and Akamaru, the blonde smiled softly. "I'm going to tell Jiji exactly what happened. Of course, I'll leave out a few details such as informing Ino and the others about what was going on with Sean-sensei and such. Who knows what he'd say to all that?"

The group laughed softly at that before Naruto continued. "I'll inform Jiji about what transpired with Sasuke. The bloodlust, that foul chakra, the threats…everything I can. I'll also talk to him about Kin and see what he thinks. I also think he deserves to know that Orochimaru's connected to Otogakure somehow." Seeing his teammates nod, Naruto smiled a bit.

Soon, everyone jumped slightly when they heard knocking at their door. Kiba slowly rose and moved to the door, opening it slowly. When Temari and Kankuro walked into the room, they all blinked a moment before smiling at them. "We heard your voices and wanted to say hi. Also…thanks again Naruto for treating us so kindly. We truly appreciate it." Temari stated as they took a seat near him.

Kankuro frowned as he noticed how Naruto was behaving. "Hey Naruto, you all right man? You seem a little…down. Did something happen after we split up?" Naruto sighed and nodded slowly as he looked into Kankuro's eyes. "You two remember when we left? We went to investigate what the hell was causing all that destruction in the forest. We were right…Sean-sensei was battling somebody pretty powerful. When we arrived…he was injured pretty seriously. I'm just really worried about him right now is all. He'll be okay; I know it…but…"

Temari reached out and gently squeezed his hand. "Naruto, I don't know how close he is to you, but I'm sure everything will be just fine. I don't know exactly what happened, and I can tell you aren't telling us everything, but I'm sure you have your reasons. Still, just know that we're here for you. It might not mean much, but we're your friends now. We'll do whatever we can." Smiling softly at him, she again squeezed his hand much to Sakura's annoyance.

Soon they heard knocking again and looked to see the Sandaime Hokage standing in the doorway. "Pardon me, but I would like to speak with these three in private if I may?" The brother/sister duo nodded their heads and bowed to him politely. "Of course Hokage-dono. Naruto, we'll see you later. Take care and be well." As soon as the two of them left, the Hokage shut the door and put up a privacy seal right before taking a seat on one of the beds. "All right. Tell me everything you three. Did you come across Sasuke?"

The three of them nodded and immediately said: "Yes, Hokage-sama." In unison. The Hokage nodded and urged them to continue. Both Sakura and Kiba looked to Naruto and smiled at him. Naruto took a deep breath before nodding his head. "We came across Sasuke's team early today. When we did, we saw Sasuke was unconscious while Fu-chan and their teammate were attacked by the Genin squad from Otogakure. Jiji…they were under orders to _kill_ Sasuke." At this, the Hokage's eyes widened somewhat and he began to rub his bearded chin in thought.

Looking down, the blonde nodded again before continuing on. "Jiji…they attacked Fu-chan and her teammate and actually managed to HURT them. They use some strange sound-based attacks, but that's to be expected I suppose. Team 10: Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji, soon stepped in to help, but what we saw…it was just horrible. Shikamaru wanted to question them, but things didn't work out so well for them. Ino used a jutsu to enter the female Oto Genin's mind and held her hostage, hoping it would keep her teammates from attacking any longer. It didn't seem to matter. One of them said to go ahead and kill Kin, that's her name by the way, and the other actually ATTACKED Kin. They don't care about their teammate at all. They'd obviously kill her if given the chance."

Hiruzen nodded slowly at this and grumbled softly for a moment. "Please continue Naruto-kun. I'm sure there's more to the story, correct?" Naruto nodded slowly and continued on. "As the battle was about to resume…Sasuke woke up and attacked the one named Zaku. But…Sasuke had these weird marks all over his body and this really foul chakra emanating from him. Worse than that however was the bloodlust. You could literally _feel_ it radiating from him, it was that bad. He attacked Zaku and ripped his arms out of their sockets before turning his attention to the one named Dosu. Fearing for my friends' safety, I leapt into action with my teammates. Kiba pinned Dosu to the ground, Sakura tended to everyone's injuries, and I dealt with the teme."

The Hokage nodded and urged him to continue on. "Sasuke…threatened me. In the past he's never threatened to take my life, but this time…he really meant to kill me. I managed to calm him down somehow, but somebody has to seal that curse mark before he really hurts somebody. He can't be trusted right now!" The Hokage nodded and was about to say something, but Naruto held up his hand and smiled softly. "S-Sorry Jiji, but I'm not quite done yet. Remember me telling you about Kin? Well…I talked with her. This is important Jiji. I had my suspicions about who sent them and gave them their orders, and she confirmed it for me. Orochimaru sent them Jiji." The look on the Hokage's face was one of horror, confusion, and a variety of other emotions that Naruto couldn't be bothered to make out at the moment. "Jiji…Orochimaru sent them to die. I convinced Kin to leave and to join Konoha as one of our kunoichi, so long as you'll accept her. She obviously isn't like them Jiji! They'll kill her given the chance! She'll at least be safe here. Right now she's with Team 10, helping them to get their second scroll. If you want to meet her, I expect they'll be here at the latest…around tomorrow at noonish? I'm not for sure, but that's my best guess. They could be here as early as tonight for all I know."

Hiruzen nodded slowly and shook his head, letting out a soft chuckle. "Kabuto's information…Orochimaru's appearance…Orochimaru giving Sasuke the cursed seal…his warning to Sean-kun…now this Oto team and their connection to Orochimaru…" Frowning slightly, Hiruzen looked into Naruto's eyes. "I wonder what the hell my old student is up to. Otogakure just recently popped up…my guess is Orochimaru holds some power there. In all likelihood, he's probably the Kage there. If that is the case, there's no telling how many shinobi he has on his side just waiting to attack our village. I'll keep looking into this Naruto-kun, Sakura-san, Kiba-san. For now, I want you three to focus on getting to the finals all right?" When they each nodded, the Hokage rose again and prepared to leave befoe he felt Naruto's hand clutching his.

Naruto looked at the floor for a while before nodding his head. "Please Jiji…is Sean-sensei all right?" The Hokage smiled and gently patted Naruto atop his head. "Physically he's just fine. But mentally and emotionally…it's not looking good. Sean-kun is very troubled right now Naruto-kun. I don't know what's going to happen, but he won't miss your upcoming fights, I'm sure of that." Smiling softly at his grandson figure, the Hokage nodded and left the room without another word, leaving Naruto there with tears streaming down his face and his friends holding him tight.

_**Three Days Later – Tower Arena**_

As Team 8 entered the small arena, they noticed all the other passing teams standing around talking amongst themselves about what the next stage of the exams would be like. They easily spotted their friends from Teams 7, 9 & 10, as well as the members of Sasuke's team. Off to the side they could see Temari and Kankuro standing behind their brother once more. Gaara was currently glaring at him, but Naruto quickly shrugged it off. Looking around, he also spotted the Oto team with Kin standing some distance away from them. _Can't say I blame her. Those two are bastards!_

With a sigh, Team 8 stepped forward to join their friends. Before anyone could actually say anything in greeting however, the Hokage appeared in the room along with some guards and many Jonin. All of the Jonin senseis and the assistant senseis were there, and Jima-san was also standing beside her cousin. There were also a few people that Naruto didn't recognize. With a shrug, he simply stood with his team and waited to hear what the next stage involved.

The Hokage rose and stood above them, smiling down at each of them. Though when his eyes landed on Sasuke, he frowned deeply for a brief moment. _He was pissed at Kakashi I heard when I had him seal the mark. From what Kakashi-san said, Orochimaru approached him after the sealing process had finished. I'm amazed nothing happened._ Looking around at everyone again, the Hokage nodded and began to speak.

"It's good to see so many of you made it here. First, I would like to offer my congratulations in passing the second stage of the Chunin Exams! From here on however, you all must rely on your own, separate abilities. Hayate-san, will you please continue?" Hiruzen stated as he motioned for a sickly-looking Jonin to step forward as he stepped back and sat in his chair.

Hayate stepped forward, shooting a brief smile to his girlfriend, Yugao Uzuki, before hopping down below to speak to the young Genin. "The third stage of the Chunin Exams is to test your abilities individually. You will all face each other in one-on-one battles meant to showcase your abilities. This will happen in front of a large crowd of people in one month. There will be many people from all the different countries. How well you do will help determine the amount of missions and what kind of funding each of your villages will continue to receive. There are many other factors that go into what they are looking for and what will happen, but it is irrelevant to the current matter at hand."

As Hayate spoke, he coughed numerous times and a lot of the Genin grimaced. Kiba actually whispered to Naruto and Sakura that it looked as if the man could drop dead at any moment. Soon, Hayate spoke up again. "Since they are all pressed for time and can't sit around to watch every single battle…and since so many of you have made it through to the final round…we must hold preliminary matches to weed out a certain number of you. _Don't_ complain, it won't do you any good."

Glancing around at each of the Genin, Hayate smiled when he found them all listening intently to his words, none of them daring to go against his advice. "Good. Now, in order to determine these matches, a generator will select names at random. As soon as the names flash on the screen, I will call down the two of you selected for battle and when I allow you to begin, you will fight. You are permitted to use everything in your arsenal. Fight as if you're going for the kill. Should one of you forfeit or be rendered unconscious, the match will end. Before we begin however, would anyone like to drop out now?"

Everyone looked around, highly doubting that anyone would just quit at this point. However, when Kabuto Yakushi raised his hand and bowed out, most people were shocked. Team 8, Ibiki, Anko, Sean, Jima, and a few others glared at him however and watched as he left. _What the hell are you up to now Kabuto?_ Naruto wondered before returning his attention to Hayate. "Well, now that that is done and the rest of you seem to be staying, we shall begin. For now, all of you should go stand with your senseis and wait for your names to be called."

Everyone filed up the stairs then to stand with their senseis. As Ino reached Asuma and Sean, she quickly looked up at Sean with a worried expression on her face. "Sean-sensei, are you okay? I…I heard from Naruto what happened." Sean sighed and looked down at his student with a soft smile on his features. Reaching out his hand, he gently patted her atop her head. "I'll be fine Ino, there's no need to worry. Thank you for your concern however." Ino nodded slowly and turned back around to watch the board as it flashed through a series of names.

**Sasuke Uchiha vs. Yoroi Akado**

At this, those who knew what happened in the Forest of Death immediately grew wary. Naruto was also curious about Kabuto's teammate. The blonde and his teammates decided to watch this fight _very_ carefully. When Sasuke and Yoroi went down to the arena to fight, Naruto clenched the railing before him and watched in anticipation.

The fight went by rather quickly however. Yoroi had the ability to absorb chakra from his opponents, but Sasuke had already fully recovered from the ordeal in the forest so it wasn't a difficult fight for him. The curse mark never affected him and Yoroi went down rather easily with some simple Taijutsu. Sighing when the battle came to a close, Naruto leaned back and shrugged his shoulders. "Well that was pretty dull. At least the curse mark's under control for now." Nodding at this, everyone turned to await the next matchup.

**Shino Aburame vs. Zaku Abumi**

This fight was rather easily won for the insect user. In fact, Shino was actually kind of disappointed with it. He didn't get to demonstrate any of his new jutsu, nor did he even have to really _try_ all that hard. Zaku was just one seriously pathetic opponent for him. In the end, Zaku's arms practically exploded and he passed out from the sheer pain. Inwardly, Kin was actually cheering happily that the jerk got what was coming to him.

**Misumi Tsurugi vs. Kankuro**

This turned out to be another simple, quick battle. Misumi turned out to be some kind of rubber man, which in itself was rather odd. However, he didn't exactly put up much of a fight as Kankuro revealed himself to be quite the puppeteer. With a simple attack, Kankuro easily defeated Misumi and the fight was over with Kankuro as the winner. Naruto congratulated him happily and he gave his new friend from Konoha a thumbs up before returning to his team.

**Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka**

"Good luck Sakura-chan. You two have been training really hard. I know you'll have a lot of fun here." Naruto said and he watched as Sakura hopped down into the arena, mentally preparing herself to fight her best friend.

Meanwhile, with Ino, she looked up at Sean-sensei and he nodded. "Asuma and I have trained you hard Ino. Sakura may have been my student before you, but that doesn't mean I'm solely rooting for her. I want you two to have a good fight. Ino-chan, go down there and show Sakura what you've got. I know you'll do really well." Smiling down at her, Sean chuckled softly as she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. Reaching down, he hugged her gently to him and then patted her back. "Go on now Ino, kick some ass." Ino nodded happily and went down, already prepared to fight her friend.

As the two kunoichi stared into each other's eyes, they both nodded, showing respect to one another. "Ino, I want us to fight seriously right from the start. We've been trained hard and I want to see if I can beat you fair and square. Don't hold anything back okay? Promise?" Sakura stated, glancing at Hayate to make sure he would let them finish speaking to each other before he ordered the fight to start.

Ino looked at Sakura and smiled warmly. "Sakura-chan, I was about to say the same to you. Don't hold anything back okay? I'm going to beat you fair and square. We owe it to each other to give this fight everything we've got. Now…let's begin." Both nodded and then glanced out of the corners of their eyes, waiting for Hayate to tell them to begin.

When the proctor nodded his head and shouted "Hajime!" both of the Kunoichi immediately began going through a series of hand seals. Ino finished hers just seconds before Sakura did and shouted out, "**Raiton: Kaminarino Taidou (Lightning Release: Quickening Lightning)**!" From Ino's outstretched palm, a small lightning bolt shot out that gradually picked up in speed before reaching Sakura's face at an unbelievable pace. However, what happened next caused some to smirk and others to watch in disbelief.

Sakura finished her hand seals shortly after Ino did and slammed her hand to the ground while shouting, "**Doton: Doryūheki (Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall)**!" An earthern wall rose from the arena floor and stopped the lightning bolt in its tracks just as it was about to strike her. The wall crumbled, but it served its purpose as Ino's lightning bolt disappeared as well.

Breathing a small sigh of relief, Sakura brushed herself off and smiled at her friend. "Well, it seems I'm at a bit of a disadvantage now, doesn't it? I suppose I'd better bring out _that_ then." Smirking to herself, Sakura brushed the seal on her right glove and pulled out a rather large spear that was at least two feet taller than she was. Twirling it around, she held it at her side and grinned. "Let's have some fun Ino-chan!"

**A/N: I apologize that it took so long to get this chapter up. I do hope you enjoyed it however. If you have any complaints, I do apologize for whatever's wrong, but I don't really plan to change anything. I will take suggestions however and listen to any constructive criticism you may have to offer.**

**I'd also like to state that I've been REALLY tired lately. I thought I was recovering from whatever the hell it was that I was sick with, but I got worse again and my mind's kind of hazy/foggy or whatever because of it. I swear all the damn sneezing and the near-fainting spells are driving me nuts.**

**As for Kin, I hope you don't mind me changing things a bit there. Personally, I hated how she was treated by her teammates. Yeah, she was kind of a bitch herself, buuut...meh. *shrugs* I figured I'd change things up a little and see how that went. As for the situation with Sean, I do have a plan regarding that, but it won't happen for a while yet. I hope you're looking forward to seeing how things go with him later on in the story. ^^ **

**Again, any suggestions for anything, I'll be glad to take them into consideration. For now, I could really use some rest. I damn near passed out about midway through typing this chapter up. I forced myself to stay awake just so I could finish it. If there are any errors in spelling and/or grammar, I apologize. I really do. When I'm like this I tend to make mistakes on occasion, though I do my best to fix all of them. Again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Finally, for those of you who haven't noticed, I have started another story. It's called Naruto: Mercy of the Shinigami. I'll be working on that occasionally as well for anyone who might be interested. ^^ I'm hoping that that will be another successful story. Aaaanywho, good night everybody!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 – Mighty Kunoichi, Neji's Nickname, & Naruto's Clash!**

Ino eyed her friend's weapon with curiosity. The tip of the spear was of a material she couldn't identify right off the bat, but then again she wasn't exactly a weapons freak like Tenten was. Shrugging her shoulders, the platinum blonde-haired girl glanced at Sean and smiled. "Sean-sensei? Can I use that technique?" Everyone in the arena froze and looked directly at Sean, clearly putting the man in the spotlight for the time being.

Sean sighed and ran his fingers through his dark blue hair. "I have no problems with you using that technique in this battle, but I want you to wait for now. Use your best judgment to determine when it's the right time to use _it_ Ino-chan. Good luck!" Asuma leaned over and whispered to him. "Umm, Sean-san? Are you sure it's safe?" Sean shrugged his shoulders and simply grinned. "Well, I'm not sure if she can use it without injuring herself yet, but she's not about to kill herself or her friend. Ino's a smart kid and if she wants to use it to win this fight, then I say let her." Asuma sighed and shook his head. "Fine, but if Pops comes down on us for this, I'm pinning all the blame on you damn it." With that, the smoking Jonin leaned back and rested his head on the wall.

Meanwhile, back in the arena, Ino found herself grinning as she stared at her friend. "You heard him Sakura. Sean-sensei's just given me the go ahead to crush you. Now, show me what you can do with this precious weapon of yours can do Sakura. I want to have at least _some_ fun with you before I beat you into the ground!" Laughing hard, Ino found herself grinning inside as Sakura began to fume. _Good. It looks like you're still as easy to anger as ever Sakura. Tear down your defenses, wear you out, and then I'll go in for the 'kill'. Easy victory._

Sakura snarled and went in for an attack, swinging her spear wildly at Ino who easily dodged each of the attacks. When the pink-haired girl went for a powerful overhead strike, Ino flipped backwards and watched as a three-feet wide crater formed in the ground where the spear tip hit. Her eyebrow twitching, Ino looked from the crater back to the spear's wielder and laughed nervously. _Oh shit! If that thing manages to hit me once, I'm screwed!_ "Ha! Is that all you've got Forehead?! Sean-sensei's capable of doing more than that with his pinky finger! If you want to scare me you're going to have to work harder than that!"

In the audience, Naruto found himself grinning as he stared from Ino to Sakura. _Ino, you'd be wise to shut up. Sakura's about to show you something incredible. Whatever you learned from Sean-sensei won't save you here._ Nodding his head, the blonde looked over at his longtime friend and found Sean smirking. Frowning at this, he wondered why he was still so confident in Ino. Looking back to the fight, the young Uzumaki-Namikaze shook his head and decided to simply cheer on his teammate. "Come on Sakura-chan, you can do it! Kick Ino's ass!"

Sakura smiled brightly at hearing Naruto cheering her on. "Thank you Naruto-kun! I needed that." Glancing at Naruto, she saw him grin at her and nod his head. Blushing slightly, the pink-haired girl looked back at Ino and grinned. "Okay Ino, since you don't seem to be very impressed…" Sakura began to focus earth-natured chakra into her spear and clutched it tight before moving it to her side, pointing it towards the wall. "I'll show you something _special_. Whatever trick you've got up your sleeve, I suggest you use it soon. Because if you're hit with this, you're not going to get back up."

Ino gulped again and shook her head. "I can't just yet. It's not the right time. But…" Bringing her hands up, Ino formed a single hand seal and smiled brightly. "I can try something else! **Kaminari Bunshin no Jutsu (Lightning Clone Technique)**!" Out of nowhere, a lightning bolt shot down from the ceiling and struck Ino's head. The bolt itself was so bright that it blinded everyone in the room. When they could see again, sixteen Ino's now stood in the arena surrounding Sakura, each of them grinning devilishly at her. "Sakuraaaaa. You'd better hope you have some kind of special technique up your sleeve, otherwise my next technique's gonna take you dooown."

As the Ino's began to laugh and started going through hand seals again, Sakura smirked and shook her head. "Nice try Ino-pig, but it's just not enough. **Doton: Rokkii no Arashino Muchi (Earth Release: Whip of the Rocky Storm)**! Say good-bye to your clones!" The tip of Sakura's spear began to glow a dark greenish brown color before it extended into a long stream that encircled her on the floor. Focusing to maintain hold on the jutsu, Sakura began what appeared to be a rather elegant dance as she moved around on the floor, the long stream of earth-based chakra slamming into the clones one by one, quickly dissipating all but three of Ino's Lightning Clones.

Ino frowned and shook her head. "I have to admit, I didn't think a simple Doton jutsu would be enough to destroy my Lightning Clones. Even if they were just cheap copies meant to distract you, the mere fact that your Doton whip could destroy them's impressive. Not bad Forehead. Still, you didn't succeed. **Raiton: Jibashi (Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder)**!" Ino and her two remaining clones each extended their hands and shot lightning forth from their fingertips.

Sakura grimaced as she looked around herself. The three Ino's were surrounding her in a perfect triangle and the lightning was spreading out in cones to entrap her. Focusing her chakra once more, Sakura pumped more chakra into her technique and began spinning in as perfect a Pirouette as she could. Her chakra whip enshrouded her in a protective cocoon as she spun and spun on her foot.

When the attacks finally came to an end, Sakura stopped and began to pant as her technique faded. The pink-haired girl sealed the spear away once more and clutched at her right arm. For the most part, her defensive technique held, but parts of the technique burst through her makeshift Doton shield and her right arm was currently hanging lifeless at her side. "That…could've been much worse. You pumped too much power into that technique Ino-pig! We're not trying to kill each other here!"

Some of the people in the audience sweat dropped at this, but decided to shrug her comment off. Ino simply laughed softly and shook her head. "Sakura, in this battle we aren't friends. I'm battling to win. To prove to myself that I'm a better kunoichi than you! I want to get stronger, and not just for Seanie-kun!" Eyes widening, she slapped her hands over her mouth and blushed furiously as she and mostly everyone in the room glanced towards Sean again.

Sean's left eyebrow was raised while he maintained a mostly calm, neutral expression on his face. Asuma burst out laughing next to him and slapped the Wind God on the shoulder. "Well, looks like somebody's trying to profess her love to you oh mighty 'Wind God'. What're you gonna do?" Laughing harder, Asuma didn't even notice the back of Sean's fist until it was too late. In the next second, Asuma Sarutobi found himself buried in the wall behind him, groaning in agony. Letting out a heavy sigh, the Wind God hung his head and shook it. _Well this is fucking embarrassing. Thanks Ino. They're going to be teasing me about this for a good, long time. I think I'd like to just go crawl in a hole and die now._

Ino glanced over at Sean and found him sulking. She was furious with Asuma for making fun of him, and she wasn't at all pleased with all the people making fun of him right now for what she just did. Blushing in embarrassment, she was about to speak up when she looked at Sean again and saw him simply smiling at her. "S-Sean-sensei? Are you okay?"

Sean smiled and nodded at his student. "Don't worry about it Ino-chan. Let them think what they want. It doesn't matter. What matters is that this: you've made me proud to be your sensei, even if it's only temporary. Now, why don't you show Sakura your trump card? Let them see your _true_ power Ino-chan!" Ino nodded happily and blew a kiss at him before she turned back to Sakura.

As the laughter grew louder, a deep, embarrassed blush found its way onto the Wind God's face and he grumbled irritably to himself. _Sometimes I really hate these people. I even have fucking _Genin_ laughing at me! What the hell do you have against me Kami-sama?!_ Sean fell to his knees and just hung his head, too embarrassed to even keep watching the fight anymore.

Sakura found herself sighing at Ino's antics. "Ino? You do know that what you just did was highly embarrassing for Sean-sensei, right?" Ino frowned at that and quickly retorted. "I'll apologize to Seanie-kun for it later Forehead! At least I'm willing to come out and say who I'm in love with! You're too stubborn to even come out and say that you're in love with Naruto!"

At this, Sakura's eyes went wide and she froze. Slowly, she turned her gaze to look at her teammate, only to find him smiling at her. Before she could speak up, Naruto raised his hand and shook his head. "It's all right Sakura-chan, I already knew. Don't let it bother you; we can talk about it later. Just focus on the fight for now okay? Do your best!" Grinning at her, he found it amusing when Sakura blushed deeply and quickly turned away to continue her fight.

Hiruzen and many others that knew both Sean and Naruto had similar thoughts running through their minds at this point. _It seems that Sean and Naruto-kun are more alike than originally thought. They're both quite popular with the ladies. Then again, Naruto-kun's father wasn't a slouch in that area either. The women loved him._ Chuckling, the Hokage shook his head and simply waved for the match to continue. There had been enough embarrassment for one match. It needed to end!

Back in the arena, Ino was, once more, focusing her chakra for another technique. Sakura, noticing this, shut off her gravity seals in the hopes that the new speed and power boost given to her would be enough to offset the exhaustion she was currently feeling. Focusing chakra to the soles of her feet and to her fists, the pink-haired lass prepared herself for whatever might be coming next.

Ino smiled and shook her head. "Removing some gravity seals won't be enough Sakura. What Seanie's taught me is going to be a bit too much for you to handle in your current condition. No amount of speed or power will help you." Sakura grimaced at this, but she wasn't about to attack without first knowing what she was getting into. Ino was close to calling out her new jutsu and Sakura knew it.

Taking in a deep breath, Ino closed her eyes and focused her chakra through her hands, turning as much of it as she could into Raiton chakra. When she was ready, Ino opened her eyes and, using her free hand, she literally pulled a large sword made of pure Raiton chakra from her left hand. As she clutched the sword tight in her hands, lightning began to crackle around her body and sparks began to fly throughout the arena. "This…is my new technique Sakura-chan. **Raiton: Kaminarino Ken (Lightning Release: Lightning Sword)**!" As the young blonde woman clutched the sword tight in her hands, she remembered back to when she had first learned this technique.

_Flashback_

"Ino-chan. Before we begin, there are a few things you should know about the technique you are going to try." Sean stated as he looked into her eyes, a rather serious, warning expression on his face. The young Yamanaka heiress looked nervous, but she steeled her nerves and nodded anyways. "Sean-sensei, I asked you to teach me how to do this for a reason. I want to become stronger, and you're the strongest person I know!"

The Wind God chuckled softly and shook his head. "There are people far stronger than I am Ino-chan, but thank you for holding me in such high regard." Sean replied as he reached out and gently patted her atop her head. "However, before I can truly teach you this technique you want to learn, I need to make a few things very clear first." Looking deep into Ino's eyes, Sean narrowed his eyes somewhat and sent a small wave of killing intent her way. "If you simply want to learn this technique because you are trying to impress me, then you can forget about it. That is not why you learn techniques. You should want to grow stronger in here," Sean put two fingers to Ino's forehead, "and in here," this time he put his fingers to her chest, just above her heart, "for yourself and for another, very important reason."

Ino blushed softly as he retracted his fingers and smiled at her. After a time, the young lass nodded her head slowly and smiled at him. "I want to grow stronger for a few reasons Sean-sensei. I…want to prove myself. To my friends, to my family, to you…to _everybody_. I want to prove I'm strong! I want to prove that we kunoichi are _not_ weaklings! Women can be just as strong as men, I know it!" Seeing Sean smile at this, Ino decided it was safe to continue on. "But more than that, I want to protect those precious to me."

The Yamanaka girl looked into Sean's eyes and could feel tears stinging at her eyes. "I was pathetic before Sean-sensei! All I wanted was to be near Sasuke. I thought he was so cool and…'hot' before. But damn it, he's just…he's NOT! Sasuke only really cares about himself and that stupid revenge of his! The village loves him and he still has all those fan girls of his and all he can think about is power, power, power! Sakura told me about what he did in Wave. The things he said…ugh!" Clenching her fists, Ino subconsciously flared her chakra and Sean was smiling as he watched her closely. "When I heard, I wanted to go to Naruto right away and tell him how sorry I was for how I treated him. He's been through so much crap already and…" She sighed heavily and closed her eyes, the tears streaming down her face freely as she felt herself being pulled into a tight, warm hug by her sensei. "I was just so stupid. I talked with Shikamaru, Choji, Sakura…my parents…everyone that I thought could help me figure things out. Even now I don't really understand why I was _attracted_ to that scumbag! Personally…" Looking into her sensei's face now, Ino grinned. "I'm happy you pummeled Sasuke when you did. He deserved it!"

Sean smiled brightly as Ino began to giggle. She sounded so cute as she giggled that he couldn't help but laugh right along with her. Reaching up his hands, the Wind God used his thumbs to gently dry her face of the tears. Once he was done, Ino was blushing up a storm once again and he simply smiled at her. "There we go. Can't have my pretty student out here crying, now can we?" As she just blushed more and more, Sean chuckled quietly to himself and stood once more. "Good Ino. We can begin your training."

As Ino looked up at him, clearly excited with the news, Sean smiled softly down at her. "The first thing you should know is that such a technique will be highly dangerous to you. For some reason, this kind of technique comes naturally to me and it doesn't bother me at all. For someone such as you, however…well, there's a multitude of drawbacks. The first of which is the rate at which your chakra will drain when you activate the technique. Watch me and see if you can understand why this is."

For a time, Ino listened and watched as Sean demonstrated certain things to her about his wind sword that he so often used. She had seated herself upon the grass, smiling at him as the two of them discussed the potential of such a technique as well as everything that could go wrong. When all was said and done, Ino rose to her feet and looked into his eyes as she struggled to perform the technique time and time again.

Some time later, when Ino finally managed to activate it, she let out a scream of pain, but clutched the sword tight in her hands nonetheless. Sean quickly placed his hand upon her shoulder and forced some of his chakra into her body to cancel out her technique. "Tell me Ino, how did you feel?" Ino looked into his caring eyes for a moment before she raised her hands and looked over her body. "That…that really hurt. I think I understand now Sean-sensei. It…"

_End Flashback_

Ino laughed softly to herself as she clutched the blade tightly in her hand, the lightning crackling louder around her. _Seanie's abilities are very similar to a kekkei genkai of some sort. He doesn't feel any of the drawbacks when he uses his techniques, but when somebody who isn't part of his clan/family tries to do something like this, the chakra drain and strain on their bodies will hurt terribly. Severe chakra drain and the strain are only two drawbacks however. My lightning sword creates such powerful, raw raiton energy that it causes painful burns and causes parts of my body to start going numb. Until I fully master this technique, the longest I can maintain control over this technique is 2.5 minutes. I have to make that time count._

Ino sighed and nodded her head. "Sorry Sakura, but you're done for. If you're as smart as I remember, you'll forfeit the match. Please don't push your luck." When Sakura simply shook her head negatively, Ino sighed again and nodded her head. "Then come Sakura. Try your best." The pinkette nodded slowly and soon disappeared from view after pivoting her left foot. Glancing to her right, Ino raised her right arm and blocked her friend's punch.

Everyone winced as Sakura began to scream out in pain as she jumped backwards away from Ino. Sean closed his eyes and nodded slowly. _Ino tried to warn you Sakura. I am sorry, I truly am. I would have liked to have seen the both of you make it through, but you were stuck facing the wrong opponent. Better luck next time._

Ino turned and swung her sword at Sakura's midsection, but the pink-haired girl leaped backwards and clutched at her damaged fist. "W-What the hell was that?!" she shouted angrily. The blonde-haired girl smiled and shook her head as she slowly raised the lightning sword over her head. "I told you that it was pointless. I'm sorry. I truly am." Frowning, Ino swung the sword down and an arc of pure lightning shot forth from her blade towards Sakura.

Sakura managed to dash out of the way again and again, dodging attack after attack until two full minutes had passed. The pinkette fell to her knees and groaned. She was running low on chakra and she was exhausted too. Taking in a deep breath, she tried to think up some kind of plan. However, at the moment she was completely clueless on what to do. And yet, right at the moment that she was about to raise her hand and forfeit the fight, Ino's technique faded when the sword was mere inches from her head.

Sakura blinked, clearly confused as she stared at Ino. Her friend stepped back a few feet and began looking herself over. The smile on Ino's face confused her even more. _Does her technique have some kind of time limit or something? Can…I actually _win_ this fight now?!_

Ino shook her head and began to giggle cutely. _Well, I guess that's it. Thankfully I don't seem to have suffered too much damage this time. There's other ways that I can win this fight._ Smirking to herself, Ino performed a single hand seal that her teammates and most Jonin in the area knew well. "Sorry Sakura. You still lose. **Shintenshin no Jutsu (Mind Body Switch Technique)**!"

Sakura tried to move to avoid the technique, but it was to no avail. She suddenly felt herself pushed back into her own mind while Ino took control, her own body collapsing to the floor in the arena. By this point, the young Haruno girl was so exhausted both physically and mentally that she didn't see what she could do to possibly continue.

Naruto, seeing this, groaned and shook his head before he slapped his hand down on the railing. "Damn it Sakura-chan, don't you dare go giving up like this! Fight back! Take control again and force Ino out of your body! I thought you were stronger than this!"

Ino-Sakura looked up at Naruto and frowned. "Sorry Naruto, but it's not quite so si-" The pink-haired girl suddenly froze, a look of shock on her face as the body refused to obey Ino's commands. Inside Sakura's mind, the Haruno was trying her best to fight back. Her Naru-kun had faith in her and she did _not_ want to let him down! Despite the stray thought that crept into her mind, Sakura chose to push it aside until later when she had actually won her fight.

Moments later, Ino was back in her own body and both combatants rose once more, angry looks upon their faces. "Ino, I thought we were going to fight fair?! None of those damn tricks. Whoever won would have done so by their abilities alone. Why did you try to do that?!" Sakura shouted, and once again some people in the audience groaned. Ino simply giggled and shook her head. "Sakura that is a clan technique. It's a perfectly fair tactic and one I'm sure you would have employed had you a jutsu such as that in your arsenal. But now it doesn't matter. I'm nearly tapped out, and I'm sure you are too. Looks like it's going to come down to simple Taijutsu in the end. I might have enough chakra left for another elemental jutsu or two, but it's just not enough. If I missed, it would just be a waste."

Sighing, the blonde focused some chakra into seals on her body and Sakura's eyes widened somewhat. "Yes, Sakura, I have them too. Now, what do you say to finishing this fight now? It's gone on long enough and I'd like to see the others fight. Wouldn't you Sakura-chan?" Smiling at her longtime friend, Ino watched as Sakura nodded, albeit somewhat reluctantly. Bowing once more to each other, the two kunoichi prepared for what would be their final attacks.

It was over in a flash. The two moved so fast down in the arena that some had trouble keeping up with them. When they finally stopped moving, Ino and Sakura had their fists planted in each other's faces. They both were sent tumbling backwards along the ground, eventually stopping when the two of them ended up in two decently sized craters on opposite sides of the arena.

It didn't take long for both combatants to step forth again, but at they moved, it was obvious that one of them was about to drop and the fight would finally come to a close. Sakura glanced at Naruto and found herself smiling. "S-Sorry Naruto-k-kun. I wanted…to see you in the finals. Guess it was t-too much for me…" As Sakura began to fall, she saw Naruto smile at her.

Ino moved quickly and caught her friend in her arms. Glancing over at the proctor, she motioned him over. "Please call the fight. We could both use a little rest and medical attention. Sorry that we made such a mess of the arena." Smiling at the proctor, Hayate Gekko, Ino found herself passing out shortly after he called the match in her favor.

**Tenten vs. Temari**

Hayate had called a five minute break so that the arena could undergo some temporary repairs. In that time, everyone had been allowed to go and grab a snack, the wounded had been patched up, and for the most part, people just talked with one another. During this time, Naruto and Hinata spent some more time together and just talked about whom they might be facing and what had happened already. As the five minutes came to an end, they wished each other good luck, kissed each other sweetly on the lips, and went back to their teams.

As soon as the next pairing came up on the screen, Hayate called both Tenten and Temari to the arena floor and hoped that this wouldn't turn into another crazy, super powered kunoichi battle. When they came down and stared into each other's eyes, Temari grinned while Tenten scowled. "Tell me Tenten-san, what do you know of Naruto-san?"

Tenten deadpanned at that and shook her head. "What the hell does that matter?! We're about to fight and you want to know about some boy?!" Temari laughed and shook her head. "He's not just some boy. He's…interesting. I figured that he might be a friend of yours and chose to ask. My apologies Tenten-san. Simply forget I asked. Proctor, I believe we are ready to begin." At this, Temari opened her fan until one of the stars was revealed. "Let me warn you Tenten-san: should you see all three stars of my Kyodai Sensu (Giant Folding Fan), this fight will be over. So before then, show me what you've got."

As the beautiful blonde-haired Suna kunoichi smirked wickedly at her, Tenten shook her head and sighed. "I just had to get a weird one for my opponent. Alright, that's fine. I'll just have to throw everything I've got at you and try my best to win, right?" Smirking right on back, Tenten put two fingers to a seal on her right wrist, quickly pulling out a pair of tonfa. She quickly took hold of them and held them firmly in her grip. "Proctor, I'm ready. It's time to start this fight and show this girl what I can do!"

Hayate eyed them both for a moment before raising his hand, shouting "Hajime!" and jumping away so they could begin their fight. He had a feeling that this could prove to be another interesting fight to watch.

For a few moments, the kunoichi just watched each other carefully. Temari, tired of just waiting, decided to say speak again. "Sooo, about what I said before…?" Tenten groaned and shook her head. "I know Naruto-san, okay? We're friends, but we don't see each other often. Different teams and all that. I don't know as much about him as his girlfriend does though. If you're really curious, try asking either Naruto himself or one of the girls that's actually interested in him."

Temari nodded her head and looked around at all the girls in the room. "And which one of these many girls here is his girlfriend? Pinky? It's certainly not the girl that screws with people's minds with that jutsu of hers. After all, she made it _very_ clear that she's interested in the Wind God. Speaking of him, I'd certainly like to discuss a few things with him later." Looking over at Sean, Temari grinned and bowed her head to him for a moment.

Before Temari could go on, Tenten took the chance to dash forward and swing her tonfa at Temari from both sides in horizontal arcs. The blonde Suna kunoichi blocked both attacks with her partly open fan and smirked. "Awww, so eager to start. Here I am just trying to strike up a conversation and you go in and pull something like that." Sighing, Temari swung her fan and sent Tenten skidding back along the floor of the arena.

With a slight smirk, the young futon user focused her chakra and winked at Tenten. "Enjoy. **Kamaitachi no Jutsu (Sickle Weasel Technique)**!" Swinging her fan once, powerful winds rocketed forth from Temari's Kyodai Sensu and targeted the Weapons Mistress of Konoha. The blonde-haired teenage girl watched as Tenten rolled to the side and threw a bunch of shuriken and kunai her way. Yawning at the pathetic display, the Suna woman swung her fan again and sent the projectiles flying back at Tenten.

Sean frowned at this and shook his head. _Tenten probably won't win this fight. Temari's clearly a powerful Futon specialist. Her best bet is to put aside her preferred fighting style and try a little of what Guy and I taught her. Even then, I don't know if she can win._ Shrugging his shoulders, the Wind God turned his gaze to Temari and smirked a bit. "I wonder what Temari-san could want with me. That look in her eyes…"

The Genin of Team 10 looked up at their sensei and frowned. Ino stepped over to him and gently gripped his hand with both of hers. Looking down at her, Sean smiled. "What's up Ino-chan?" The blonde shook her head and then scowled down at Temari. "I just don't like that girl. What do you think she could want with you Sean-sensei?"

Sean glanced back down at Temari and gave a soft shrug of his shoulders before he placed his hand atop Ino's head as he so often did. "Who knows? She might want training, or perhaps she'd like to see how her skills match up to mine. Or it could be something else entirely. I'm not entirely sure. Buuut, I'll probably find out later on, huh Ino-chan?" As Sean chuckled softly to himself, Ino pouted and looked away. "I bet she just wants to take you away with her back to Suna."

At this, Sean stopped laughing and blinked a few times. "Now why could she possibly want that?" Ino turned around and glared harshly at him. "Why wouldn't she?! Suna's well-known for their Futon specialists Seanie-kun. It wouldn't surprise me if they wanted to recruit you into their village. Probably to help train future Futon users or something. And that stupid girl down there probably likes you too Sensei! I don't know. I just…I don't trust her."

Sean simply chuckled at this and shook his head. "Don't judge people so harshly after you've just met them Ino-chan. While it's good to be suspicious of foreign ninja, it's also a good idea to keep an open mind. I'll let her approach me later and I'll talk with her. Or spar…or whatever." Shrugging his shoulders, Sean turned his attention back to the fight. "Whatever she wants, I can guarantee you that I'm not about to leave Konoha Ino-chan. So relax and just trust me. Okay?" Smiling at her again, the Wind God pointed down into the arena. "Now, watch the fight. I want you to take the rest of this time to study your potential opponents for the final round. Understand?" When Ino nodded, Sean sat down with her and focused his attention on the young, fifteen year-old Temari. _I have to admit though, I'm curious to know what she wants._

Back on the arena floor, Tenten was huffing as she stared across at Temari and her Kyodai Sensu. _Two stars. She said that if I see all three that I'm done for. I haven't landed a single blow yet! It looks like my weapons and Fuinjutsu aren't going to help me out here at all. Guess it's time to try something different._ Sighing heavily, the Weapons Mistress looked to Sean for a moment before she turned her gaze to Naruto.

Naruto stared back at Tenten and smiled at her. "What's up Tenten-san? Something on my face?" Tenten giggled and shook her head at him before returning her gaze to Temari. "No, nothing like that Naruto. I was just trying to think about what you might do if you were in my situation. I've heard some interesting things about you and Sean-sensei and I was just...thinking about it I guess." With a shrug of her shoulders, Tenten sealed away the weapons she was holding and brushed herself off. "I'm curious to see if you and the others will approve of what I'm about to try."

As Naruto nodded his head, Tenten began to focus her chakra again and went through a series of hand seals before feeling water building up in her mouth. Focusing her gaze on Temari, Tenten began shooting out a large number of water bullets towards the fan-using kunoichi. As expected, Temari both blocked and dodged the numerous bullets, but she hadn't tried to counter yet. Ending her attack, the Weapons Mistress grinned and shook her head. "Thanks for helping me out there Temari-san." Tenten said with a small smirk playing at her lips.

Temari frowned and looked around. "I assume you're about to try something different? Those weapons techniques of yours were fairly pathetic after all, so I hope this next attack is something a little more…'special'." The fan-user said with a shrug. It was then that she noticed the water beginning to swirl around her. _Well crap._

Tenten smirked and finished the last in a set of hand seals. "**Suiton: Uzumaku Mizusuraisaa (Water Release: Swirling Water Slicer)**!" The young Konoha kunoichi was smirking as she thought for sure that this attack would have won her the battle. However, when she didn't hear any screaming, Tenten grew worried. Moments later, she heard her opponent's voice shout out her Kamaitachi no Jutsu again and she was forced to watch as the water vortex around her opponent was dispelled, the water sent flying everywhere.

As Tenten looked back at her opponent, she realized she was about to lose. The Kyodai Sensu was opened fully now and her Futon techniques would most likely now be at their most powerful. Before she could do anything to prepare herself, Temari shouted out the name of her technique again and the Weapons Mistress was lifted into the air, entrapped by a powerful tornado. Tenten screamed out as the winds tore into her body. After a brief period of time, Temari closed her fan and let the Konoha kunoichi fall upon it.

Sighing, the blonde Suna kunoichi shook her head and let Tenten down gently. As Hayate called the match, she knelt down beside the Weapons Mistress and smiled as she patted her shoulder. "That wasn't a bad shot. I'm sure you'll become much stronger in the future. Now…" Letting the medics carry Tenten off, Temari leaped up next to Sean and smirked at him. "Hey there Seanie!"

At this, Ino twitched angrily. "What the hell?!" Clinging to Sean's arm, Ino glared hatefully at Temari and tried to pull 'her' Sean away from the wind user. Sean chuckled and shook his head. "I told you already that it's okay Ino-chan. So Temari-san, what is it you want?" Sean extended his hand to Temari, who happily shook it. "I've noticed that you're quite the impressive Futon user. I'd love to examine your fan sometime."

Both Temari and Ino blushed at this as what Sean just said could be taken in a few ways. They knew he didn't mean what he said in _that_ sense, but it still shook them up a bit. Sean looked at the two kunoichi and frowned. "What? Did I say something wrong?" Temari shook her head and began to giggle. "No, no. Of course not Sean-kun. I wanted to ask if I could meet with you later after the preliminaries are over."

Sean smirked at this and nodded his head. "Of course Temari-san. We can talk after the exams are over. I'll come by and pick you up at your motel tomorrow afternoon and we can go out to wherever you'd like so we can talk in private. Sound good?" Temari smiled broadly and nodded. She was clearly very excited. "Of course! I just wanted to say Seanie-kun, I am a HUUUGE fan! I've heard so much about you and your abilities and there's sooo much I'd like to talk with you about! I can't wait!" Leaning up, she kissed Sean on the cheek and waved good-bye to him before skipping off back to her team.

Soon after, Anko appeared at Sean's side and both she and Ino had him trapped against the wall. "What was that?" The Wind God looked at the two of them and smiled nervously. "You two are kind of scaring me. You do know that…right?" The two women narrowed their eyes dangerously at him and Sean felt as if the years of his life were suddenly slipping away. _What the hell did I do?!_

**Shikamaru Nara vs. Kin Tsuchi**

For a few minutes, everyone in the room watched as Anko and Ino chewed Sean out for what the two women assumed was the Wind God accepting Temari's date proposal. When it was over and the two girls separated from him to go off and talk by themselves, Jima walked over and pried her cousin out of the wall where the angry women had essentially buried him. The suiton user shook her head and sighed at her foolish cousin. "Sean, I never knew you were this hopeless."

Jima reached her hands up and gently brushed the dust and debris out of her cousin's hair before she began to brush his clothes off. When she was finished, she hugged him close and smiled at him. "You know something Sean?" The blue-haired man shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. "Honestly? Right now I do not really understand anything. What the hell did I do this time?" Jima sighed and flicked him in the forehead, making her cousin wince in the process. "You're kind of an idiot Sean. It's a good thing you're cute." This comment had Sean blushing a bit, and Jima started to giggle cutely at that.

While Jima was explaining things to her cousin, the next match was called. Kin was eager to test herself, while Shikamaru…was being coerced into entering the fight. The lazy young Nara had actually entertained the idea of forfeiting, but one glare from Ino had him scurrying down into the ring to escape her feminine fury.

Now on the arena floor, Shikamaru looked at Kin and gave her a lazy smile. "Hey. How's it going Kin? Settling in okay?" Kin smiled and nodded at the young Nara heir. "Yep! Everyone's been pretty nice to me, despite everything. Thanks again for letting me tag along with your team Shikamaru-san." The young Tsuchi bowed low to Shikamaru, much to most people's confusion. Compared to how she acted earlier before the first phase of the exams even began, she was acting totally different now.

Shikamaru chuckled and waved his hand dismissively. "No need to thank us. Heck, we should be thanking you Kin-san. Your abilities helped us greatly during that battle we had. I knew having you hang back was the right choice." Smirking at her, the two of them shared a laugh and a nod before they turned to Hayate. "Proctor, you can declare the start of the match. I'd like to test Kin-san and see how her abilities match up. It might also help Hokage-sama determine where to put her after this is over." The proctor nodded slowly and coughed for a moment before he raised his hand again and brought it down. "Hajime!"

To the observers, the fight wasn't all that impressive. Kin landed some glancing blows on the Nara boy, but he employed some rather incredible flexibility and even managed to snap out of her Genjutsu. On top of that, he easily employed his Kagemane no Jutsu and ended the fight by simply having Kin knock her head on the wall to knock her out. When it was all over, Shikamaru walked over to Kin and lifted her into his arms. Smiling at the proctor, Shikamaru decided to carry the young woman to Naruto. "Here Naruto, I'm going to leave her in your care for now. Can't exactly trust those Oto jerks after all." Nodding his head towards the disguised Orochimaru and Dosu Kinuta across the room, Shikamaru noticed Naruto smile at him.

"Thanks Shikamaru. When you go back to your team, mind telling Ino to go easy on my sensei please? Sean-sensei's still…umm…well, he's more clueless than I used to be when it came to girls." Shikamaru nodded and waved him off. "Yeah, I'll talk to her. But I can't guarantee that Ino will listen to me. You know how stubborn she is Naruto." Naruto laughed and nodded his head. "I do, which is why I'm sure you can help set things straight." Smirking at his friend, Naruto listened as the lazy genius grumbled and nodded before walking away to rejoin his team.

**Kiba Inuzuka vs. Sai**

Naruto and Kiba looked into each other's eyes and nodded. "Careful Kiba. This guy was made Sasuke's teammate for a reason. We know very little about him besides what we saw in the forest. So be _careful_." Kiba smirked and nodded his head. "Of course Naruto. I guarantee it though, this guy won't beat me. After all, I'm going to meet you in the finals." Winking at his blonde-haired teammate, the Inuzuka heir jumped down to the floor with Akamaru and grinned at Sai as he casually walked down to meet him.

When they stood across from each other, Sai gave a smile to Kiba and bowed his head. "Kiba Inuzuka. I hope we have a good fight." The young shinobi pulled out his scroll and ink brush and simply continued to smile at his opponent. Kiba eyed him curiously for a moment and shrugged his shoulders. "Akamaru, don't let your guard down for a second." His partner barked in agreement with him as Kiba turned to face Sai once more.

Seeing that both combatants were ready, Hayate once again raised his hand and swung it down. "Hajime!" Jumping backwards out of the way, the proctor watched as Sai quickly began to draw on his scroll. When the young man finished his drawing and removed his ink brush, about 23 differently-sized leeches sprung forth from his scroll and began moving at surprisingly high speeds towards the Inuzuka and his pup.

Kiba groaned while Akamaru whimpered. Not wasting a second, Kiba had Akamaru transform and the two of them used their Gatsuga attack to clear away all the ink creations. When they came to a stop again, they were behind Sai and charging in for an attack of their own. As they reached him, Kiba used his claws to tear through Sai, only to find the man turn into a small puddle of ink. "Tch, a damn clone. Where…?"

Kiba was brought from his thoughts as Akamaru tackled him to the side. Akamaru's back, left leg was caught in an explosion and he howled out in pain as the master/nindog pair landed hard on the ground some distance away from where Sai's ink birds struck with their explosive tags. Kiba hugged Akamaru close and did what he could to quickly patch up his friend's leg. "Damn it! Akamaru, sit here for a bit and eat this. We'll get your wound treated properly after the fight, I promise." Akamaru nodded weakly and ate the soldier pill handed to him while Kiba turned to face Sai, who was currently hanging upside-down from the ceiling. "Bastard."

Kiba performed a quick series of hand seals and slammed his hand down on the ground before Akamaru. "**Doton: Doryūheki**! Stay safe Akamaru." A wall of earth rose in front of Akamaru, separating him from the fight as Kiba shut off his gravity seals. "You're going to pay for hurting Akamaru _Sai_. I don't care who you are or what your purpose of being here is. I am going to kick your ASS!"

Focusing his chakra again, Kiba went through another set of hand seals and slammed his hand to the floor once more. "Take this! **Doton: Ganchūsō (Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spears)**!" A bunch of pillars of earth shot up from the floor before him, rocketing at Sai. The boy was forced to dive to the ground as the spears pierced the ceiling. As soon as Sai hit the ground, Kiba was upon him and his right fist was encased in solid earth. "Here I come! **Doton: Kengan no Jutsu (Earth Release: Fist Rock Technique)**!"

Sai's eyes widened slightly as Kiba's rock fist slammed him in the face, sending him crashing into the nearest wall very, _very_ hard. As the artist stumbled forth from the wall with another smile on his face, Kiba watched as blood began to run down his face. "Stay _down_ boy!" Kiba snarled. Sai didn't say anything. Instead, the odd shinobi took a few steps forward and stopped as he suddenly began to fall to the floor. When Hayate went to examine the fallen Sai, he nodded and sighed. "Winner: Kiba Inuzuka!"

As the medics carried Sai away and people began to clean up the arena once again, Kiba went over to Akamaru and gently lifted him into his arms. "I'll come with you buddy. I'd stay and cheer Naruto on, but it's more important to me that you get the help you need." Akamaru gingerly licked Kiba's hand as the two of them walked off with some more medics, leaving the others in the room to talk once again.

**Neji Hyuga vs. Fu**

Fu shouted out in excitement and quickly jumped down to the floor. She looked up at Neji and smirked. "Yo Buttface! Get your ass down here so I can kick it clear across the room! I'm lookin' forward to celebrating me kicking your ass with Naruto-kun!" Neji's face turned red and he was about to retort when Lee and Guy began to laugh at him. Quickly turning on them, the Hyuga yelled at them to shut up before he jumped down to the floor as well and took the typical Juken (Gentle Fist) stance. "Let's just get this over with girl! I'll show you that this 'Naruto' of yours is nothing but a weakling compared to me. Prepare yourself!"

The girl with the mint green hair simply smirked wider at that. "Oh? I heard that you were refusing all the special training offered to you by the Hokage. How can a stubborn idiot like you ever beat me, eh Buttface?" Neji twitched at this and began to shake angrily. "Stop calling me Buttface! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Fu began to laugh before turning to the proctor. "Hayate-san, could you please start the fight? I think Buttface is finally ready for his royal butt-kicking." Snickering could be heard in the audience, and Neji only grew more and more furious with this girl. He was going to make her _suffer_ for her insults!

Hayate nodded slowly and shouted for them to begin as he leaped backwards. Neji, in his anger, actually slipped up and charged forward, completely neglecting his Byakugan (White Eye) in favor of striking out at Fu wildly. The green-haired girl zipped around and under his attacks, constantly laughing at him as she struck him a few times with light slaps, only meant to infuriate him further.

After a time, Neji stood in the center of the arena huffing while Fu stood near a wall, simply smirking at him. "What's the matter Buttface? Tired already?" Neji glared at her, but he didn't resume his attack. Instead, the Hyuga took a few deep breaths to calm himself and activated his Byakugan. Narrowing his eyes, the Hyuga boy glared hatefully at Fu and prepared himself for the battle. "Little Fu. Despite your ability to get under my skin, I will still win this fight. Fate has decreed that you will lose this fight. If you're smart, you will forfeit now. I will _not_ be responsible for what happens to you should you continue this foolish game of yours."

Fu scoffed at him and shook her head. "You're pathetic if you believe in that fate crap Buttface. A stubborn idiot like you probably doesn't even understand what true strength is. I'll show you the difference between us Buttface. When I'm done with you, I bet your own parents won't even be able to recognize you." The female Jinchuriki noticed how Neji flinched at this and watched as his scowl deepened. "Ahhh, your parents are dead, aren't they Buttface? Tell me something then. Do you really think that the two of them would be proud of you for turning into such a bastard?"

Neji was about to speak, so Fu zipped over to him and punched him hard in the face, knocking him to the floor. "Don't interrupt when a woman is speaking Buttface. I wasn't done yet." The Hyuga glared up at her and tried to strike one of her tenketsu points, but Fu jumped away to avoid his attack. Rising to his feet, the Hyuga moved in for another attack. Sadly, she once again continued to dodge his strikes.

As Fu dodged and blocked his attacks, she sighed heavily and decided that she would continue her lecture after she beat him. Leaping backwards, she prepared to use one of her jutsu, only to freeze when Neji began to speak again. "You're within my field of divination. I told you that you would lose. **Hakke Rokujūyon Shō (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms)**!" Fu's eyes widened as Neji unleashed his attack.

Within mere moments, Fu was laying in a heap upon the floor. She groaned as she struggled to her feet. "Give up. I have sealed all of your tenketsu points. Your chakra has been sealed." Turning to face the proctor, Neji smirked. "Call the match already proctor."

As Hayate began to raise his hand, Fu let out into a fit of laughter. "Really? You think you've won so easily? Such a fool." Fu stood and smirked at Neji. "Buttface thinks he's all that because he landed a few hits." Fu exploded in a puff of smoke and the Hyuga's eyes went wide. "I'd never let you touch me Buttface! Nice try though, that was an impressive attack." Neji turned around only to receive a powerful blow across his face that sent him flying across the floor into the far off wall.

As he stumbled out of the wall, Neji was struck again, only this time with a powerful Futon jutsu. Fu kept up the attacks until Neji lay face down on the floor, groaning in agony. As the kunoichi went to kick him again, Hayate walked over and stopped her. Understanding the message, Fu nodded her head and knelt down, gently rolling Neji over so she could look into his eyes. "Listen and listen _well_ Buttface. You think you've had it so damn tough? You didn't have to live my life, or Naruto-kun's life for that matter. You don't need to know the damn details, but a punk like you doesn't know true suffering yet. We struggled every day and we're starting to make something of ourselves. And you wanna know something else Buttface? Your cousin, Hinata-chan? Because of pricks like you, she's suffered too. She has a family, but she's treated like a fucking outcast. You're considered a damn prodigy, but you're nothing but a pathetic prick in my eyes. Shape up Buttface and develop a better fucking attitude. I won't be so easy on you in a _real_ fight." Standing up, Fu turned and walked off to go stand next to Naruto while the medics carried Neji off.

**Gaara vs. Rock Lee**

As soon as their names flashed on the screen, Naruto leaned forward and clenched the railing tightly. _Gaara._ The blonde watched as both combatants entered the ring. His friends around him tried to get his attention, but Naruto couldn't hear them. Right now he was so focused on what would happen in this fight that it was all he could think about. Kin and Sakura simply smiled and placed their hands on his shoulders to try and help calm him down.

The fight was actually quite impressive. Lee's speed was absolutely incredible and for a good while he knocked Gaara around like he was a simple rag doll. In the end however, it didn't matter. Gaara emerged from the fight with a few bruises and scrapes, but nothing truly serious. At the end of the fight, Lee barely managed to escape having his limbs crushed by Gaara's sand with the use of a weapon given to him by Yugao months ago. In the end, Lee forfeited the match as he knew he had reached his limit.

When Gaara tried to attack again even after the match was called, the sand user was slugged hard in the face and sent flying by Naruto. As Gaara climbed out of the hole in the wall, he glared at the Uzumaki. "Listen here Gaara. Stop with this bloodthirsty bullshit of yours! Lee forfeited the match. Do you know what that means? The match was OVER! There was no reason for you to continue attacking him. If you're smart, you'll undergo a damn attitude adjustment in the time between now and the finals. Because I can guarantee you right now that if you keep this shit up and you meet me in the finals…" Naruto walked forward and glared angrily into Gaara's eyes. "You're going to _regret it_."

With those words spoken, Naruto made his way over to Lee and helped him back to his team. Glancing back, the blonde could see Gaara glaring his way, but he didn't honestly care. Patting Lee's shoulders, Naruto bid him well and returned to his teammates while Gaara returned to his.

**Choji Akimichi vs. Dosu Kinuta**

This fight was another dull one. Despite all of Choji's training and his advancements, he ended up making a mistake in the end when he used his Baika no Jutsu (Multi-Size Technique) and attacked with a rather simple Akimichi Taijutsu technique where his entire body acted like a rolling tank. Dosu easily used that to his advantage and used his sound technique to render Choji unconscious. All-in-all, it was a very short, boring, humiliating fight.

**Naruto Uzumaki vs. Haku**

When their names came up, the two looked at each other and frowned before hopping down to the arena floor. Haku bowed low to him and Naruto smiled softly at her. "Naruto-kun. I don't really want to fight you. It's thanks to you that I am alive after all. And…"

Naruto smiled and shook his head. "It's fine Haku-chan. I don't want to fight you either, but I think this is a great way to test our abilities. So Haku-chan, I want you to go all out in this fight against me okay? If you win, then I'll congratulate you and be happy for you. If I win, I hope that you'll do the same for me. So…no regrets okay? I won't hold back." When Haku nodded in agreement, the blonde gave her his usual foxy grin and nodded happily. "Good. Proctor, please allow us to begin. Then I suggest you move to safety because this is going to get intense."

Hayate slowly nodded, deciding it was probably best to just take Naruto's word for it. Shouting "Hajime!" Hayate jumped backwards and joined the Hokage up above. In an instant, both Naruto and Haku flashed through their hand seals. Haku finished first and smirked at her crush. "Sorry Naruto, but you're in trouble. **Sensatsu Suishō (Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death)**!" Naruto watched as a thousand needles of water appeared in the air around him and smirked. "Niiice. You can summon water particles from the air to do whatever you want them to do, huh Haku?" Haku nodded slowly and sent her needles flying towards him.

With a shrug, Naruto finished up the last of his hand seals and slapped his hands together. "**Futon: Kixyouryokuna Kazeshiirudo (Wind Release: Powerful Wind Shield)**!" In an instant, a spiraling sphere of wind sprouted outwards from Naruto's body and protected him from all the needles. As soon as Haku's attack was finished, the young Uzumaki released his technique and grinned at Haku. "Now it's my turn Haku-chan."

Haku felt a shiver go down her spine as she quickly tried to prepare herself for whatever Naruto had up his sleeve. When the Uzumaki began going through hand seals again, Haku smiled. _I recognized those hand seals!_ Quickly preparing her own version of the technique, she shouted her technique out just seconds after Naruto shouted his. "**Futon: Daitoppa**!" Haku smirked and finished on the same hand seal. "**Futon: Daitoppa Touketsu (Wind Release: Freezing Great Breakthrough)**!"

Naruto's eyes widened as his jutsu was quickly overpowered by a freezing cold blast of wind. Leaping to the side, Naruto barely avoided the brunt of the attack, though his left shoulder was encased in ice now. Wincing from the cold, he quickly focused some futon chakra through his fingertips and cut through the ice carefully before rubbing his shoulder to warm it up even if just a little. Glaring towards Haku, Naruto found her grinning his way.

"Impressed Naruto-kun? Sean-sensei taught me many things, including how to incorporate my specialty into different attack types. I've been training incredibly hard for these exams and I plan to earn my promotion to Chunin. I am sorry." Bowing again, she didn't expect her blonde crush to begin laughing. Standing straight again, she went on the defensive as she watched Naruto disappear, only to reappear seconds later behind her with his hand on her side.

Blushing a tad at the contact, Haku missed what Naruto said next and was therefore shocked when she was sent tumbling along the ground due to a powerful blast of wind that erupted from his hand. Wincing, the ice user rose to her feet again and clutched at her side. "Damn it Naruto-kun! You did that on purpose!"

Naruto began to chuckle again and nodded his head. "You're the one that let your guard down because I touched your side. Use whatever advantage you can get in a fight. Don't you know that by now Haku-_chan_?" Haku's eyes widened once more as Naruto appeared at her side and had his hands on her hips. She blushed again, but quickly calmed herself and tried to hit him in the gut with her elbow. All that earned her was a Shadow Clone going 'poof!' and smoke covering her.

Coughing slightly, Haku waved her hands and tried to disperse the smoke, only to be struck three different times as she attempted this. Wincing in pain, Haku soon breathed out angrily. "Okay, you asked for it Naruto-kun." Releasing her gravity seals, Haku vanished from the smoke and dashed about the room. Naruto followed her movements carefully, but he didn't expect for three senbon to suddenly appear in his left leg. Wincing from that, he released the gravity seals on his legs and began dashing around, both avoiding and blocking Haku's attacks.

Finally when they stopped moving, Naruto was blushing up a storm as Haku was pressed up against his chest. She was trailing an ice senbon up and down his broad chest while nibbling on his left earlobe. After a few seconds, she pulled back and smirked at him. "Oh Naru-kun, you don't _really_ want to hurt me…do you?" Leaning in, she placed a gentle, yet passionate kiss upon his lips much to the embarrassment of everyone there. The girls actually interested in Naruto, including his girlfriend Hinata, were all yelling at Haku to stop being a 'sleazy whore' as some of them put it.

When Haku pulled back, she quickly embedded three more senbon into her crush's chest and winked at him. "Mmm, that was a nice kiss Naru-kun. Your lips are soft, and unsurprisingly taste quite like your favorite ramen. Not bad." Giggling cutely to herself, Haku dashed away before he could fully regain his senses.

Naruto blinked away his confusion and practically snarled at her trickery. "H-Haku-chan! Ah jeez, Hinata-chan's going to kill me for that!" Haku giggled and Naruto found himself blushing further as he felt her assets pressed up against his back and her lips on the back of his neck. "Aww, but you loved it. Just admit it to yourself. You've got a thing for lil' sexy Haku-chan. Don't you Naru-kun?" She quickly jabbed another few senbon into his shoulder, disabling his right arm in the process before she disappeared again.

Naruto shivered. _If she keeps this up I'm not only going to get a huge boner, but I'm going to lose this damn fight too! Okay Naruto, focus, calm down, and kick the girl's ass! That nice, round…_ The blonde Uzumaki smacked himself in his face and shook his head. "Oh damn it Haku, you've got me thinking perverted thoughts now! Thanks a lot!" Haku's giggling could be heard throughout the arena again and Naruto found himself blushing as he found it to be really, really cute.

Grumbling, the young ninja focused and decided to close his eyes. _Okay, if she wants to play this game, I'll just have to teach her a little lesson. Haku-chan, you're going to wish you hadn't pulled this crap with me._ Ripping the senbon out of his shoulder, Naruto struggled in a feeble attempt to move his right arm, but it just didn't work. Whatever she did had made it impossible for him to even lift a finger on that hand. Sighing heavily to himself, Naruto opened his eyes and smirked. "Okay then Haku, I can work with this. It was a good plan. Trying to prevent me from using jutsu, namely creating my Shadow Clones. Clever, but it's futile." With a shrug of his shoulders, Naruto focused his chakra and smirked. "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!"

In an instant, twenty Shadow Clones appeared on the arena floor much to the surprise of everyone. "Amazing Naruto-kun. You've been training hard I see." Naruto nodded and smirked up at Sean. "I told you I would Sean-sensei. I made you a promise a long time ago that no matter what I would keep on training until I was strong enough. So, think they'd be proud yet?"

Everyone in the room except for the select few privy to certain information eyed the two of them curiously. They wondered just what the two of them were talking about, but they decided to simply listen in. Many people were fairly curious about their connection, among other things. Sean looked around for a moment before he rested his eyes back on his favorite student. "Of course Naruto-kun. Buuut, you still have much training to do if you want to attain your goals. Understand? Though, I know you haven't shown us anything just yet. Go ahead and let loose Naruto-kun. Show me and everyone here what you're _truly_ capable of!"

Naruto smirked and nodded again before turning to face Haku. Reaching up, he easily caught all the ice senbon shot his way with his way. Meanwhile, his clones were each flashing through three different jutsu, each of them preparing for a huge collaboration jutsu of some kind. As they did this, Naruto deactivated the remainder of his gravity seals and disappeared, reappearing with his left hand on Haku's waist once more. "Haku-chan, you might wanna sit still for this one. I promise it won't hurt…much." Deciding to pay her back for her earlier actions, Naruto leaned in and gently nibbled and sucked on her neck, giving her a good hickey before he left her there at the mercy of three different jutsu. "**Futon: Daitoppa!**" One group shouted. The next group shouted out, "**Katon: Karyūdan (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet)**!" Finally, the last two of his clones dashed in with two Rasengans each. "**Rasengan**!" The two of them shouted as they thrust the spheres of chakra forward towards Haku. As all of the attacks neared her, Haku began to sweat. _What in the hell am I supposed to do now?_

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in actually getting this up. I know it's been a while since I added onto this story, so I thank you for being patient with me. This chapter might not be as long as some of the others, buuut I hope you enjoy it anyways. It's primarily just a bunch of battles as you can no doubt see. I do hope you enjoyed the humor in this chapter, as well as all the battles.**

**Anyways, Chapter 11 will be in the works next and it will bring an end to the preliminary rounds, plus there will also be a bit more drama coming very soon. Hope you'll all be looking forward to that. Yes, Naruto and Haku are getting a little touchy-feely, and things are going to progress there soon enough as well. I hope that this chapter is to your enjoyment everybody. For now, I think I need a little more rest. Been sneezing constantly throughout the day and I just now managed to find some darn allergy headache medicine so hooopefully that'll help me deal with this crap. Ciao! lol.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 – Political Dealings & the Enactment of the CRA**

As Haku tried to formulate some kind of plan, Naruto found himself chuckling softly to himself. With a snap of his fingers, the clones all ceased their attacks and poofed into smoke, leaving a rather stunned audience and a bewildered Haku. Naruto shot a glance towards Sean and smirked. "You already saw it…didn't you sensei?"

At this, everyone looked to Sean for some answers before they heard Haku cry out in pain and collapse to the floor. Looking towards the girl, Hayate rushed over and checked her. "S-She's unconscious. Winner: Naruto Uzumaki!" Once more everyone was shocked and looked to both Sean and Naruto for answers.

Sean and Naruto looked around themselves and both began to laugh at the various expressions everyone had on. "Well Naruto-kun, you've certainly attracted some attention to the both of us, haven't you?" Naruto smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "So? You love the attention, don't you Sean-sensei?" Sean's left eyebrow quirked up at that and he shook his head. "While I may enjoy a bit of showing off on occasion, I don't exactly enjoy having everyone's eyes on me in situations such as this. Buuut…I assume you'd like me to help you explain what happened?" When Naruto nodded, Sean sighed and hopped down to join him.

Looking around, the duo noticed all eyes on them, but the looks of some of the girls had both men sweating nervously. Leaning closer to his sensei and best friend, Naruto whispered quietly. "Sean-sensei…I think Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan are going to kill me. Fu-chan…I can't understand that look on her face…" Sean nodded and glanced towards a couple of girls looking down at him. "I understand Naruto-kun. I think Anko-chan and Ino-chan are still furious with me. I still don't even know what it is that I did!"

As the two conversed amongst each other, the Sandaime began to sweat drop at their antics as he stood up and stepped over to the railing. "Sean-kun, Naruto-kun." When they looked his way, the Hokage smiled softly at the both of them. "If you could _please_ focus, we would greatly appreciate it if you would tell us how Naruto-kun did what he did. You've been teaching him things on the side…haven't you Sean-kun?"

Sean and Naruto looked into each other's eyes and the both of them rubbed the backs of their heads a little nervously. Their behavior had more than a few people giving them awkward stares and thinking about how similar they both acted. Ino turned to Anko and poked her in the shoulder. "Are those two related? I didn't notice it before, but they act pretty similar." Anko looked from Ino to the duo on the arena floor and shook her head. "I wouldn't know. As you know, Sean doesn't know his clan name, nor does he have any memory of his family or who they may be. We don't know much about Naruto either now that I think about it. We know his last name is Uzumaki, we've seen _some_ of his abilities, you know I've helped teach him, we know that he and Seanie are really close, but there's so much that's a mystery about the both of them. The old man might know more."

With a shrug, the Snake Mistress looked over at the Hokage and frowned. "Sandaime-sama is pretty close with the both of them. If anyone were to know something, I'm sure he would. But then again, Jima-san over there knows more about Sean than _anybody_. I think we'll have to try and pry what we can from her later." Anko smirked devilishly and nodded to Ino. "I think between the two of us…we could get Seanie's cousin to talk." Ino nodded and quickly agreed with her before the two of them looked to the arena floor again as Sean and Naruto began to speak.

Sean sighed and nodded. "Sorry Hokage-sama. We'll get on with it." Looking around again, Sean nodded and smiled at everybody as Haku was carried off by the medics. Glancing back at her, Sean smirked. "You did good Haku, but you just weren't ready for it. Don't worry, she'll be fine. Just needs some rest and a little bit of medical attention." Nodding his head, Sean turned back to the Hokage and smirked. "You saw it as well Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen sighed and nodded his head. "Yes, but that particular wind jutsu is something I've only ever seen _you_ use before Sean-kun. Without abilities like yours, something like what Naruto-kun just pulled off should be impossible. So please, tell me what the two of you have been working on."

At this, Sean frowned a bit and looked to Naruto. "Well…we're going to be increasing your training regimen anyways for the finals, so I don't really see a problem with telling them. What do you think Naruto-kun?" Naruto shrugged and smiled at his best friend. "I'm going to be much stronger by then, so I don't see why not. Let's tell 'em and see what happens Sean-sensei."

Chuckling softly to himself, Sean turned to stare deep into the Hokage's eyes. "Very well. Years ago I tested Naruto's elemental affinity and found him to have a strong affinity for wind. Therefore, seeing as how the two of us were already close and I had vowed to watch over him…I began to train him. However, only recently did I feel that Naruto-kun was ready to begin learning a few of my more…'unique' abilities. As time goes by, Naruto-kun becomes more and more powerful. I've had him training in some unique chakra control exercises to prepare him for some of these abilities of mine that, as you said, _should_ be impossible for others beside myself. Even you and Jiraiya-sama haven't been able to replicate these techniques…correct?"

The Hokage nodded and let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "That is true. I wouldn't be surprised if 'he' has tried and failed as well. It would explain why you have caught his eye. But enough of that. Please, go on Sean-kun." The Sandaime insisted as he waved his hand for Sean to continue. At the same time, Orochimaru, still in his disguise, leaned forward slightly as he listened intently to what was being said.

Sean smirked a bit and nodded. "Naruto-kun and I found a way for him to learn these techniques. It wasn't easy, but with a lot of time and patience, we found a way for him to learn my techniques without killing him. Of course…it required a little something, err…'special'." At this, the duo on the arena floor began to chuckle nervously and the Hokage began to feel a little nervous. _Oh please don't tell me…_

Naruto grinned and nodded. "From the look on your face, I can say you probably already guessed it Jiji. Yeaaah, we kinda asked a certain _somebody_ for some assistance. Man that sucked." Inside the young Uzumaki's head, the fox was snarling at him. "_**Do you think I enjoy working with you anymore than you do me Gaki?! If it wasn't for the fact I was trapped in here, I'd tear you apart!**_" Naruto sighed and shook his head. "_Yeah, yeah. I hear ya Fur ball. We talked about this already damn it. You're trapped in me, you don't want me to die because if I do, you're shit out of luck, we need to work together, blah blah blah. Remember?!_"

Inside Naruto's head, the Kyuubi nodded his head and groaned. "_**Doesn't mean I have to like it Gaki. I'd have never even taken the time to talk to you if it wasn't for that enigma standing next to you! He made some good points and his idea actually seemed smart. Anyways, you should pay attention Gaki. We can talk later.**_" Naruto slowly nodded his head and cut the mental link with the fox so he could listen to what was being said.

"…Yes Hokage-sama. We've been careful with his training and so far, I haven't noticed anything particularly bad happening. We practically wiped one of the training grounds off the map, but other than that, nobody's been hurt and there's been absolutely nothing to worry about. Sorry about Training Ground #13 again by the way. That was really kind of my bad there, huh? I flung a few attacks at Naruto-kun to see if…" Sean stopped when the Hokage held up his hand and sighed exasperatedly.

"Sean-kun, enough. We already talked about that, remember? What does matter is that you and Naruto-kun have been safe and I understand now how he knows what he does. Now, for the sake of everyone here, can you explain the attack at the end? A lot of shinobi here are still hanging in the dark." Hiruzen pleaded, eager to get this over with.

The Wind God nodded his head and smiled sheepishly. "Certainly Hokage-sama." Glancing around, Sean focused his eyes on Temari for a moment and he smirked. "Temari-san…you should hope you don't have to face my dear student in the finals. Your Futon techniques may be powerful, but he would _crush_ you. I guarantee it." At this, Temari blinked a few times before glancing at Naruto and scowling.

Chuckling at this, the Wind God turned his gaze to the rest of the audience and he grinned broadly. "Allow me to demonstrate first. It will make explaining a tad easier." Raising one of his hands, Sean focused his chakra into the palm of his hand and soon the wind began to pick up in the room. In an instant, a ball of condensed wind formed in his hand without Sean ever announcing the name of a technique or forming any hand seals.

In another instant, the ball suddenly vanished. People were confused until Anko's trench coat was suddenly torn to shreds, revealing her breasts to everyone in the room as they were only barely covered by her mesh armor. Kakashi got one hell of a nosebleed, as did numerous other guys in the room, while Sean simply smiled at her and apologized. "Sorry, but I figured it was the easiest way to demonstrate without actually hurting anybody."

Anko, quickly covering her chest with her arms, leaped down and thwacked him over the head with her fist. "You jerk!" Leaning in close, she brushed her lips against his ear and smirked. "If you wanted to get me naked, all you had to do was ask." At the deep blush forming on Sean's face, Anko decided to play a bit more and pressed her breasts against his arm, clinging to him so he couldn't leave. "You know I can't possibly resist you my sexy Seanie-kun."

Finally, as Sean fainted in Anko's arms and collapsed to the floor, Naruto sighed and shook his head before looking her way. "Anko-sensei." She looked at him and he quickly tapped a seal on his arm and pulled a coat out for her. "Here. And…be a little more careful with Sean-sensei. He's absolutely clueless when it comes to women. So, uhh…take it slow with him, okay?" Anko slowly nodded and slipped the jacket on to cover herself a bit better. "T-Thanks Gaki. So, mind finishing the story and explaining what the hell happened?"

Naruto sighed and nodded his head slowly. "Yeah." Looking up at the Hokage and then around at everyone else, the young Uzumaki smiled and bowed his head. "As mentioned before, the technique is something that only Sean-sensei should be capable of as it requires an insane amount of control over the air particles. It doesn't require as much chakra as you might think though." Seeing the confusion in everyone's eyes, Naruto sighed and ruffled his hair a bit. "It's hard for me to explain. I get the theory behind it and I can actually _do_ it, but when it comes to explaining something like this, Sean-sensei's so much better at it."

Anko frowned at this and gently stroked Sean's hair as she laid his head in her lap. "Sorry Gaki. Didn't mean to make your sensei faint like that." Naruto shrugged and shook his head. "It's fine. Basically, what the jutsu does is this:" Holding up his finger, Naruto focused a bit of his chakra and a small razor made from wind appeared balancing on his fingertip. "Sean-sensei was just showing off. You don't even have to create a ball of wind. You can just create small little wind blades like this and send them scattering throughout the room. What he did was focus all of the miniature wind blades on your trench coat Anko-sensei and gave them a simple order: shred it. What I did…" Sighing, Naruto glanced back in the direction where Haku had fallen at the end of the battle.

"All of my big attacks at the end were just a big feint. I would never seriously hurt Haku-chan, but I needed to make her focus on something other than me for a time. When I gave her that hickey, I actually marked her for my attack while simultaneously attaching a string of wind to her waist with my fingertips. When I cancelled the attacks and ordered my Shadow Clones to disappear, I used the smokescreen created by their disappearance to my advantage and focused the wind around me into a bunch of tiny air blades. They proceeded to strike certain points in and on Haku's body in order to cause her enough pain that she'd fall unconscious and lose the match. The string and the hickey were their points of entry. It's actually as simple as that. Make sense now?"

Everyone slowly nodded and looked towards the unconscious Wind God. "So…you learned this from that guy there?" Naruto nodded slowly. "Think he'd be willing to teach me stuff like that?" Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Sorry, but I'm only able to use these techniques due to special circumstances that I'm not allowed to discuss. It would be impossible to teach anyone else these kinds of techniques." The young blonde looked towards Sasuke and sighed. "Besides, aren't you enjoying Zabuza's 'treatment Teme? Aside from that, in case you forgot…" Narrowing his eyes, Naruto smirked at the Uchiha. "Sean-sensei doesn't even like you Teme. If he ever decided to show you the technique personally…it would be to rend you limb from limb, I guarantee it."

Sasuke snarled at this and closed his eyes. "Fine, whatever. Probably doesn't even know anything truly useful to me anyways." Naruto sighed and was about to speak when somebody beat him to it. "Are you kidding me?! I'd kill to learn under Seanie!" Virtually everyone turned their attention to Temari while Anko and Ino practically growled at her. The wind user walked over to Sasuke and smirked. "You just can't admit that you suck, can you boy?"

Sasuke looked about ready to snap and throw a punch, but Sean started to wake up at this point. "Oh shut it, please. Don't antagonize the Uchiha boy. He's only going to pull the 'I'm an elite Uchiha' crap and piss me off again." The Wind God stated as he sat up slowly. "There's a reason I kicked your ass in the Land of Waves Sasuke-teme. I had hoped that by letting Zabuza tend to you that he would smack some damn manners and _respect_ into your ass, but that fucking curse mark, Orochimaru, and that petty jealousy of yours have completely fucked that plan over. Haven't they Sas-Gay?"

At this point, Sasuke was fuming as he leaped over the railing and hit the arena floor. Sean smirked at the Uchiha and tapped his foot on the floor. "What? Did I strike a nerve _Boy_? Just because you're the last Uchiha in Konoha doesn't mean you're anything special. Did you ever stop to think that a lot of people only treat you like a freaking prince because they want you to be happy here? If the Council knew they could get away with it, they'd force the CRA (Clan Restoration Act) on you and force you to take wives when you're so obviously gay."

Sasuke snapped at hearing this and threw a punch at Sean which only resulted in his hand being shredded by an invisible wall of wind. The Uchiha let out a harsh scream and collapsed to the ground as he tried to stop the blood from escaping his new wound. "_That_ was your doing you arrogant little punk. I don't care about your sexuality, nor does anyone else here. If you like girls, you don't show it because you're too obsessed with that revenge of yours. 'Oh, I'm a mighty Avenger. I'll kill my brother Itachi.' Y'know what Sasuke? Who the hell gives a fuck?! Certainly not anyone here! Certainly not the Council! You're just a pathetic excuse for a person Sasuke. From what I've heard and seen, you don't even deserve to be a shinobi. The shit you've pulled…"

Sean stopped suddenly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking around, he saw many scared looks and more concerned looks all directed at he and Sasuke. Glancing down, he saw Sasuke writhing on the ground with one hand missing. Reaching up, the Wind God placed a hand to his face and shook his head. "What…the hell just happened to me?" Groaning, he closed his eyelids and shook his head a couple more times. "Damn it…first that incident on the streets…now I see an Uchiha and take it out on Sasuke…" A sudden look of horror appeared on Sean's face as he turned paler and paler. "The Council's going to tear me a new one for this…"

Medics were currently rushing Sasuke off at this point and he watched as they rushed off with a screaming Uchiha glaring harshly at him. Before he disappeared through a pair of doors, Sasuke issued a clear, verbal threat to him. "The Council will have your head for this! How dare you attack me again?!" At that, the Wind God chuckled softly and shook his head. "I have to say I expected that. Even when in that condition his ego knows no bounds. If he has his way…" Sighing, Sean shook his head and sat down on the floor. He was too shaky to remain standing any longer.

The Hokage and Sean's friends made their way down to the arena floor to speak with him. As Hiruzen walked over, they all watched as Jima pushed her way through and held her cousin tight. "Sean-kun, it's alright. I promise. Just talk to me. What did you see this time? What happened?" The blue-haired man shook his head and closed his eyes. "I…think it was Sasuke's dad. I'm not entirely sure, but it was definitely an Uchiha. Sharingan blazing…fire jutsu blazing towards me…I don't know what the hell happened, but an Uchiha definitely targeted me when I was younger. Did you have that erased from my memory too Hokage-_sama_?" Sean spit out angrily as he glared harshly at the old man.

Hiruzen sighed and shook his head. "I still don't know why he targeted you back then. But you were so shaken up after the attack…you were far too young Sean-kun. The nightmares you kept having after that…" The Sandaime shook his head and sighed again. "I apologize Sean-kun. It seems obvious to me that Fugaku Uchiha learned something about you that he felt threatened by. Why else would he have attacked you that way? The same thing happened to him that happened to the others. Whatever took place back then…you nearly killed him. And now…you've harmed his son. You heard the threat Sasuke made against you Sean-kun. I'm afraid that soon we're going to have to deal with the Council yet again."

Jima did not look pleased at this. Turning, she shoved a finger hard into the Sarutobi's chest and narrowed her eyes. "You saw it plain as day! Sean never even lifted a hand to that little punk! Sasuke was the only one to throw a punch and Sean-kun's wind acted as a simple barrier, much like Gaara's sand does! I don't care if I'm a member of this precious Council of yours, but I'm going to be there. I'm going to make damn sure that you say what needs to be said. You will NOT let those bastards do anything more to my cousin than what's already been done! Is that understood Sarutobi?!"

When Hayate went to speak, Jima turned her glare on him. "Don't even dare Gekko! 'Show the proper respect to Hokage-sama. Blah blah blah.' I'll show people respect when they've EARNED that respect! The Hokage _might_ earn it if he does the right thing at this upcoming Council meeting. If he even dares to let those bastards walk all over him again, I'm stepping in!" Hayate Gekko nodded nervously, coughed a couple of times, and stepped back. In fact, mostly everyone stepped away from the angry woman.

The Hokage sighed deeply and nodded his head as he rubbed his bruising chest. "Yes, I think it might be for the best if both you and Sean are there with me. For now though, Hayate and I need to finish things up here." Looking to Hayate and then to Hinata, the Hokage nodded and then commanded everyone back to where they were.

Moments later, Hayate stood staring at Hinata and smiled softly. "Hinata, as you are essentially the 'odd one out', you will not be fighting in the preliminaries. Instead, you will be moving straight on to the finals. Congratulations." Hinata frowned at this, but nodded her head regardless to signify that she understood. "Now, will all the winners that are able please come to the floor?"

Within a matter of minutes, all the winners that weren't currently resting in the hospital were on the floor, side-by-side as they stared into Hayate's eyes as they waited for him to speak. As they did, they all noticed as a few items were brought to the floor and watched them curiously. "All of you will draw numbers from this box. After all the numbers have been drawn, I will explain the rest."

A short time later, everyone stood before him, each clutching a small slip of paper with a number on it in their hands. Making sure each of them had a number, he asked them to begin listing off their numbers. Shino was the first to step forward. "Four."

Then it was Kankuro. "Two."

Ino spoke up next. "Eleven."

Temari. "Five."

Shikamaru yawned and announced his. "Twelve."

Kiba smirked and announced his. "Three."

Fu was grinning as she announced her number. "Ten."

Gaara stared blankly ahead and nodded. "Nine."

Dosu stepped forward next and glanced around at the others. "Six."

Naruto stepped forward then and nodded. "Eight."

Hinata looked towards Naruto and smiled briefly before remembering what he did earlier and then turned her attention forward. "One."

Hayate nodded and looked to his assistant jotting down the names on a board. "That means Sasuke Uchiha has the number seven. Okay…" Coughing for a moment, Hayate Gekko turned back to the Genin and smiled softly as his assistant turned the board around. "Look at the board carefully. These will be your matches in the finals. Observe the names and matches listed carefully and prepare yourselves accordingly, for in one month's time the finals will begin. You have until then to train yourselves and prepare for everything." Everyone looked at the board and Naruto found himself grinning.

'Match 1 – Hinata Hyuga vs. Kankuro

Match 2 – Kiba Inuzuka vs. Shino Aburame

Match 3 – Temari vs. Dosu Kinuta

Match 4 – Sasuke Uchiha vs. Naruto Uzumaki

Match 5 – Gaara vs. Fu

Match 6 – Ino Yamanaka vs. Shikamaru Nara'

After everyone had memorized their opponents and examined who they might very well end up facing if they won their first matches, they nodded their heads and looked to Hayate. "Good. As I said, take this time to better yourselves and prepare for your matches. Find a training partner, look to your sensei for help, it doesn't matter. Now, Hokage-sama would like to speak a few words."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled as he came forward and nodded at each of them. "Congratulations on making your way into the finals. I know it hasn't been an easy task and you have all been through a great deal. I want you to keep in mind that in the finals you will not only be fighting to represent yourselves, but your villages and homeland as well. Go out there, train, and make your villages proud when you battle in the finals. Hold nothing back. Now go on and get going. You are all dismissed!"

With a series of "Yes Hokage-sama!" and lots of bowing, most of the people cleared out of the area. Before Naruto could escape however, Hinata and Sakura slammed the poor blonde-haired boy into a wall right as he was about to escape the tower. "And just where do you think _you're_ going Naruto?!" Sakura screamed at him, her fist plowing into his face.

Hinata nodded, a look of absolute fury on her face. "You…you…augh! How could you do that to me?! Doesn't our relationship mean ANYTHING to you Naruto-kun?!" The Hyuga girl screamed out at him as Naruto was trying to free himself from Sakura's grip. "You KISSED her! You…you gave her a hickey! You _touched_ her in…in _those_ ways! Do you like her?!"

Naruto sighed and lowered his head, knowing full well that this was already coming. In fact, this is why he was trying to escape the tower so quickly in the first place! "I'm sorry. I truly am. I'll be honest with you okay?" Both girls nodded their heads, but neither was willing to release him just yet. "I admit that I find Haku incredibly attractive and…kind of sexy…" At this, the glares intensified and he began to sweat more and more. "Just listen damn it! Please?" The girls sighed and nodded, still refusing to let him go. "Thank you."

Placing his hands gently upon Sakura's clenched fist, Naruto sent a pulse of chakra through her arm and smirked slightly as her grip faltered and she was forced to release him. Nodding in satisfaction, the blonde brushed himself off and cracked his somewhat stiffened neck. "I know how Haku-chan feels about me. It was a battle and I was going to use everything I could to my advantage, even her feelings for me. I…" At this, Hinata got pissed and jabbed forward, striking a point in his neck that caused the blonde to collapse to the floor in a heap.

"You were toying with her feelings?! That's even worse Naruto-kun!" She reprimanded him and Naruto simply groaned, wishing that he could just move his body! "You never, _ever_ play with a girl's feelings like that! I thought you were taught better than that?!" Sakura nodded and kicked her blonde crush hard in the stomach, causing him to cough and groan in even more pain than before. "Yeah Naruto-kun! You don't ever toy with our feelings that way! It's rude, it's inhumane, and it's downright evil! What the hell do you have to say for yourself?!"

Naruto's right eyebrow was twitching angrily as he stared at their feet, unable to even rotate his head to look up at them. "What the hell?! First you get mad at me for flirting with her, now you get pissed at me for using her feelings for me to gain an advantage in the fight?! She did the exact same thing to me! How am I supposed to feel about that, huh?!"

Hinata and Sakura wouldn't hear reason though and were about to rant even more when his body suddenly vanished. When the two of them felt a gust of wind, they immediately assumed it was Sean and snarled. "Sean-sensei! You're gonna pay!"

_**Fu**_

Fu watched as the two girls rushed off to hunt down Sean while she looked down at Naruto. "Are you okay? I didn't think they'd act quite like that. I guess we should probably hide you until they calm down, huh Naru-kun?" Naruto chuckled softly and nodded slowly. "T-Thanks Fu-chan. But did you really have to use one of Sean-sensei's tricks? You set him up pretty bad."

Fu sighed and shook her head. "If they knew it was me, they'd probably try to kill me Naru-kun just to get to you. With how angry they are, the chances of them castrating you right now are pretty high. Just give it a little time and let them cool their heads. Haku and I will try to help you out when the time comes. Okay?" When Naruto nodded again, the mint green-haired girl smiled at her crush. "Good. Now, I'd take you to the hospital to get you fixed up, but from what you've told me about this place, I doubt they'd actually help. Sooo…any idea where I should take you?"

Naruto frowned and glanced off in the direction he knew the Hokage Tower to be. "Yeah. Jiji, err…Hokage-sama…he can get me some help and he might even be able to help me out with my girlfriend. I really don't know what the heck to do. I care about all four of you: you, Haku-chan, Sakura-chan, and Hinata-chan. Very much. I'm with Hinata-chan, we're a couple…and yet I hate that you, Haku-chan, and Sakura-chan are lonely. Part of me _did_ enjoy the, erm…'playfulness' with Haku-chan, but another part feels really, _really_ bad about it. I know I shouldn't have done any of that…and I really need to apologize to Hinata-chan…but she just wouldn't listen to me. So…what the heck do I do?"

Fu frowned and shook her head. "I don't know. In case you haven't noticed, I'm actually just fine being near you right now. If something were to happen at a later date between the two of us, I'd be all for it. But you know what? I'm also happy for you and Hinata-san. Didn't think she'd fly off the handle with Sakura though. That's kind of crazy. So I guess talking with your Jiji is our best bet right now. Let's go pay him a visit." With a nod from Naruto, Fu used the Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) to quickly exit the Forest of Death as she made her way towards the Hokage Tower to speak with the Hokage.

_**Hokage Tower – Hiruzen, Sean, & Jima – Same Time**_

"I assume a time has been set for the Council Meeting already?" Sean asked somewhat nervously. The Hokage nodded slowly and frowned. "Yes. The meeting will take place tonight at 6:00 PM. That gives you about three hours to prepare yourselves and generally just relax. I promise you that I'll do whatever I can to help, but if things go bad we need to pull out some kind of trump card to show them why Sean-kun can't just be exiled or killed for what Sasuke did."

Jima nodded and looked to Sean for a moment. Frowning slightly, she looked back at the Hokage and shook her head. "I…hope it doesn't come to that Hokage-sama. A lot of them may refuse to believe what I'll have to tell them. To tell Sean-kun." Sean frowned at this, knowing full well that she was still hiding his clan name, his true home, practically _everything_ from him for a reason unknown to him.

When the Hokage frowned at this, he pulled out his pipe and began to light it. What Jima said next however caused him to nearly fumble and drop his pipe. "We need you to gather all the files on the Uzumaki clan that you have. Any information on Uzushiogakure would be welcome as well." When Hiruzen went to question her, the woman shook her head. "Hokage-sama, _please_ don't question me on this. If it comes down to it, we'll simply have to give this Council of yours a little history lesson. Beyond that…" Sighing again, Jima lowered her head and closed her eyes. "Just please…trust me Hokage-sama. If the idiots refuse to listen to reason, this is going to be our best bet I think. Sean-kun…when we go in, we're going to have to try our very best to remain calm and placate them to the best of our ability. Even if it means sucking up to the bastards a little."

Sean nodded slightly and sighed, not liking all the secrets being kept from him. However, he nodded reluctantly and simply watched as Hiruzen Sarutobi sent off a couple of ANBU to retrieve everything that was asked for by Jima. He was about to simply close his eyes and relax when the door burst open and Fu came in with Naruto in her arms. Quirking one of his eyebrows, the young Jonin glanced back to the Hokage to see what he would do.

"Hokage-sama, there's a slight…'problem' that we need to discuss." The Hokage sighed as Fu laid Naruto upon the couch in his office and stared hard at him. Rising from his chair, the elderly man walked over and knelt down, gently checking his surrogate grandson for any injuries. Frowning, he glanced at Fu. "Let me guess…Hinata-san and Sakura got a hold of him?" When Fu nodded, the Hokage shook his head and groaned. "That's about what I expected. I also expect that something else may happen in tonight's meeting of the Council that may actually provide a kind of…resolution to this particular problem."

When everyone looked at him somewhat bewildered, the Hokage shook his head and sighed heavily once more. "After the Hyoton (Ice Release) abilities that Haku demonstrated earlier…I wouldn't be surprised if someone brings that up in tonight's Council meeting." Naruto looked confused at this and shook his head. "I…don't understand Jiji. What does Haku have to do with my current situation?"

Looking down into Naruto's eyes, Hiruzen frowned and rose from his kneeling position to return to his comfortable chair behind his desk. "If what I expect to happen actually does happen…I'm going to have to act fast. Therefore, I'm going to need your permission for something Naruto-kun. You see…"

_**Three Hours Later – Council Chambers**_

As everyone filed into the room and took their seats, both sides began to discuss amongst themselves about why this meeting was called and what was going to happen. After some time, three figures walked into the room. The first was the most important figure in Konohagakure: Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage. The other two figures were Sean and his cousin Jima. The former immediately received some hateful glares from many members of the Civilian Council and some sympathetic stares from some members of the Shinobi Council. Danzo, Homura, and Koharu were among the members glaring at him for the obvious reason of hurting Sasuke.

As soon as the Hokage took his seat, Sean and Jima took their place in the middle of the room. Sean was taking deep, calming breaths as he tried to keep from panicking. He loved being a shinobi very much and didn't want to be exiled or even killed for one huge misunderstanding. Jima gently gripped his hand and squeezed it gently as she rubbed the back of it with her thumb. She sent him a look that said everything would be alright and he started to calm down, even if just a tiny bit.

Everyone's attention soon turned to the Hokage as he began to speak. "First, I would like to congratulate those of you whose sons and daughters have made it to the finals of the Chunin Exams. This is an impressive feat and well worth congratulations. I hope to see what they are all capable of in one month's time." At this, many people in the room murmured congratulations to the parents of those whose children made it, while some received the sympathies of others for their children who failed to make it through into the final rounds.

After a few brief moments of this, the Sandaime began to speak again. "As all of you should already know, Sasuke Uchiha is once again the focus of our discussion tonight." Receiving a series of nods in response, Hiruzen Sarutobi once again continued on. "You…may have heard some of the story from Sasuke Uchiha's perspective. How Sean attacked him and removed his hand. But this is only the tale he chooses to tell. Sasuke's ego has once again stepped in the way of the truth."

The Civilian Council members glared at the Hokage and looked about ready to interrupt when he held up a hand. "Let me speak and do not interrupt me!" Focusing his killing intent on the Civilian Council, Danzo, and his ex-teammates, Hiruzen smirked victoriously and continued on after a moment. "As some of you may or may not know, Sean has what I will call 'episodes'. Sean, would you care to explain what these are?"

Sean nodded slowly and closed his eyes, once again breathing deeply. "I…for a matter of years now, once a month…I black out and begin to see things. I see small pieces of my past, pieces that I've lost. Such as the moment my family was murdered, the face of one of their killers, and just today…Fugaku Uchiha's attempt to murder me. I've seen so many things, and not one bit of it makes any sense to me. But I do know this: Sandaime-sama ordered Inoichi-san to wipe my memories at certain points in my life in order to protect my sanity it would seem. And for that…I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I'm grateful that at least _someone_ was looking out for me. On the other…having my mind tampered with in such a way is infuriating. The mental blocks started going down years ago. I can't remember exactly when this started, but it's slowly been affecting me."

Looking around at everyone, Sean decided it was probably best to give a few examples. "About three months ago…I blacked out and began to see flashes of one of the men that murdered my family. I attacked an entire district of Konoha as I hunted for this man. When I found him…I nearly killed him. This man still resides in the Konoha T & I department as they are still trying to get what information they can out of him. Is this correct Inoichi-san?"

Inoichi slowly nodded and frowned at this. "Whoever hired this man put some strong seals on him to keep him from revealing anything more than some basic knowledge. We're hoping that Jiraiya-sama will return soon to assist us in tearing down the 'wall', so to speak, so that we can properly interrogate him. Until then, the man will sit snugly in the cell we've picked out for him for his actions against you in the past."

Sean nodded calmly at this and smiled softly. "I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't really have much more information than what you've already extracted from him. It might just be one big waste of time Inoichi-san." The blonde-haired Yamanaka nodded at this and looked grim, but still had a smile on his face. Sean chuckled softly and shook his head. "Enough of that though. You're all wondering about today's events…"

Seeing everyone nodding, Sean looked towards Hiruzen and then to his cousin, Jima for support. Jima squeezed his hand again and he nodded slowly. "After an 'event' after Naruto's match in the preliminaries…I fainted. During this time, I saw flashes of Fugaku Uchiha attacking me. I don't know when this particular event happened, but he looked…_furious_. It was obvious to me that the Uchiha clan head wanted me dead and was doing everything in his power to kill me at that point in time. When I came to, Sasuke Uchiha was shooting off at the mouth again, stroking his big, fat ego."

Jima scooted a step closer and squeezed his hand tighter at this in an attempt to warn him to be careful. Sean sighed and shook his head. "I'm not going to sugarcoat it. You people have turned that little teme into something truly awful. An egotistical little punk with no respect for **anyone**. Sasuke believes himself to be superior to everyone in the village, even Hokage-sama himself. You've stroked his ego so much that he believes he's king of the fucking world! All he truly cares about is revenge. Did you know that?" Looking around at their faces, the Wind God scoffed and shook his head in disgust. "No, of course not. You're more interested in keeping the little punk pleased and happy. He wants power, not worshippers. I bet Hokage-sama hasn't even told half of you yet that Orochimaru attacked him in the Forest of Death during the second part of the exams. Promised the little shit POWER. What the hell are you going to do about THAT, huh?!"

Danzo took this point to step forward and unleash his killing intent upon Sean. Sean gritted his teeth and turned to glare at Danzo as he began to sweat. "Enough boy! We will discuss those circumstances at a later time! Right now is the time to decide what we do about _you_! So shut up and get to the point before we have you restrained!"

Jima snarled at this and walked forward, putting her hand on Sean's shoulder to help calm him down. When Danzo stepped back again, Sean smirked and nodded his head. "Well, after arguing with the little punk for a bit…can you guess what happened o' mighty Danzo-_sama_?" Danzo snarled at Sean's mocking behavior, fully prepared to step forward and do something about the disrespectful punk. "Sasuke attacked me. I never even lifted a finger towards him and there are maaany witnesses who can prove it. Unfortunately for your precious Uchiha, my wind barrier was active at the time. So when he threw his punch, my wind barrier shredded his right hand down to absolutely _nothing_. I came to my senses soon after, and when I looked down I knew I'd be stuck here listening to this crap. Well guess what! Whose fault is it _truly_ that Sasuke is now without his right hand? Answer me that!"

The Shinobi side nodded their heads at the reasoning and looked to the Hokage. "Well, it seems we're in agreement over here at least Hokage-sama. Sean-san is not to blame for the Uchiha's injury. He may have antagonized the Uchiha during that problematic state he was in, but Sasuke chose to attack while Sean had done nothing."

Meanwhile, the Council side had another argument in mind. "That doesn't matter! It's his fault that Sasuke-kun was brought back from that mission months ago in such a terrible state! In fact, it's that MONSTER that beat Sasuke up to begin with! Who's to say that your precious 'Wind God' wasn't purposely trying to coerce Sasuke-kun into attacking him just for the very purpose of destroying him?! Hokage-sama, we do not agree with the Shinobi Council on this matter. Sean is to blame for Sasuke's current state. It is not a matter of Sasuke's own doing."

At this point, Danzo, Homura, and Koharu all stepped forward and narrowed their eyes as they stared down at Sean. "Your attitude here shows that you have little to no remorse about what you've done to Sasuke-san. While both sides have valid points, it's your behavior that has ultimately swayed our opinion here Sean-san. While Sasuke did attack you, you did antagonize him, regardless of the fact that you were currently in another state of mind at the time. While it is hard to actively place the blame on you for Sasuke-san's actions, you coerced him into attacking you and then hurt him severely. If you had simply shown some remorse for your actions, you may have been forgiven for this. However, based on what we've seen here, the three of us have decided that you ARE to blame for what transpired today. Therefore…"

"Therefore _nothing_ you bastards!" Jima suddenly shouted as she raised her killing intent, bringing Homura and Koharu to their knees while Danzo simply narrowed his visible eye at her. "Hokage-sama, speak up damn it! You've yet to put in your two cents!"

Hiruzen sighed and nodded his head. "That is true. While my vote may not sway anything in Sean's favor, I do have the ultimate say here. And there are certain things that need to be said!" For a time, Hiruzen explained Sean's situation to the Council, including the fact that his past is a complete mystery to not only Sean, but to the Hokage himself. The attacks on his life were also explained in detail, and Sean's state of mind was also discussed for a time.

When Hiruzen finally finished, he took a deep breath and looked deep into Sean's eyes. "While Sean may have antagonized Sasuke in this alternate state of mind, can you honestly tell me that Sasuke hasn't shown the tendency to be brash and eager to demonstrate such destructive tendencies in the past? His behavior during the mission to the Land of Waves, the way he treats people throughout Konoha, the occasional attack on someone that just happened to anger him even _slightly_…I could go on! This behavior of Sasuke's is by no means new or uncommon! So with this knowledge, I decree that Sean is _not_ to blame for Sasuke's current state. This current state was by Sasuke's own doing."

Hiruzen sighed as the Civilian Council once again tried to argue, as did the three elders behind him, but he flared his killing intent to shut everyone up. "We placed Sasuke under Zabuza Momochi's tutelage in the hopes that he could teach the boy some vital life lessons. While it seemed to work, Sasuke has regressed after his encounter with Orochimaru in the Forest of Death. Suffice it to say…Sasuke appears to be a lost cause. We will see how he behaves during the finals of the Chunin Exams and decide on his fate from there on. Is this understood?"

The Council members all nodded, though some had some deep scowls on their faces. "Yes, Hokage-sama." Danzo stepped forward and leered at Sean. "Hokage-sama, this does not settle things with the current issue however. Sean is a danger and needs to be dealt with. I suggest we…"

Jima grumbled and used her speed to zip over to where Danzo was standing. From there, she slammed her fist into his visible eye and sent him crashing into the far wall. "You suggest that we take that stick of yours and shove it up your ass where it belongs? Sure thing Danzo-prick!" She shouted angrily as she cracked her knuckles, preparing to fight. Glancing over at the Hokage, she frowned and stood down. "Fine, fine. You want to know what we're going to do with Sean-kun?! Here's what we're going to do!"

With this, Jima took a step nearer the Hokage and took the files from him that he pulled from his robes. Slapping them down on the table before her, she looked down at Sean for a brief moment before looking around. "We're not going to do shit to Sean-kun because he's a member of a damn near extinct clan! Sean's clan name is Uzumaki. We…are members of the Uzumaki clan. But…it's a distant relation. I don't know the names of Sean's parents, but I do know this: his parents are both Uzumaki's, and yet his hair color isn't the same vibrant red that they have. I'm half-Uzumaki, with my mother being the Uzumaki parent."

One of the civilian council members, a woman with a rather gaunt face and a frail appearance, decided to make a rather foolish mistake at this moment as she spoke up. "So you're saying you're related to that little demon brat? We should've known. This really helps us to make up our minds n-" The woman was never allowed to finish as Sean sent her head rolling along the floor, his wind sword buzzing loudly as he glared at the rest of the Civilian Council members. "Would anyone else care to speak about you-know-what so blatantly? And…Naruto-kun is no monster. He's a pure young man that deserves so much better than you scumbags always treating him the way you do."

At this point, the majority of the Civilian Council was trying to _order_ the Hokage to kill Sean on the spot. When it became too much of a headache for him to bear, Hiruzen unleashed his killing intent once more, effectively making some of the Civilian Council outright faint while others soaked themselves from fear. "Enough! Sean was only doing as he was supposed to, in case you are too stupid to remember the laws! As I said before, Sean will _not_ be punished!"

Jima sighed and shook her head as Sean joined both her and the Hokage. "Doesn't anyone remember the Uzumaki's? Masters of Fuinjutsu (Sealing Techniques), the gift of longevity, advanced healing, etc.?" The Shinobi side of the council nodded in understanding, as did the elders, but the Civilians shook their heads. "Idiots." Jima mumbled under her breath as she held up the files. "The Uzumaki's of Uzushiogakure were even aligned with this village. We were _allies_ you damn fools! Our nation's symbol is even on your clothes, your flak jackets, your equipment…how the hell can you idiots not know about ANY of this?!"

The Hokage shook his head and simply frowned at her. "Just…let it go for now Jima-san. Things have been rather…complicated for a while." Jima sighed angrily and piled all the files back in front of the Hokage. "Fine, but you're passing this crap around for them to read when they get a damn chance." Chuckling softly at this, the Hokage was prepared to speak when his former teammates stepped forward. Groaning, Hiruzen prepared for the worst.

Homura was the first to speak up. "Seeing as this is quite the interesting revelation, Koharu and I have come up with a proposition of sorts. May we speak our minds, Hokage-_sama_?" When Hiruzen nodded slowly, emitting a tired sigh as he did, the elders grinned. "Thank you." Turning to Sean, Homura's grin became even bigger as he walked over. "We propose that the Uzumaki clan be instead as a clan of Konoha with Sean here as the clan head. He will not only be forced to attend meetings such as these as the current clan head of Konoha, but there is something else as well."

Koharu smirked and nodded as she stepped forward. "We wish to enact the CRA on Sean-san. We all know the kind of power he holds, and if his abilities were to be passed on to his children as well…just imagine the possibilities. On top of that, as Uzumaki's, we could possess some of the most amazing Fuinjutsu users to ever exist, right here in Konoha!"

The Shinobi Council, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jima, and Sean all scowled at this and Sean was clenching another wind sword tightly in his hands. "I'll say this only once. NO! You will not order me into something so foolish. I am a Konoha shinobi and you may hold some power over me, but my first loyalty is to my friends and family. If I so chose it, I could leave Konoha and attempt to rebuild Uzushiogakure. Not even Hokage-sama here would be able to stop me as it would be my right as a member of the Uzumaki…clan. Damn it feels weird saying that. Are you sure about this Jima-chan?"

As Sean looked back at her, Jima giggled softly and nodded her head. "Just as I'm sure that Naruto is a true member of our clan as well, despite the fact he doesn't possess the red hair as most members of our clan do. We three are Uzumaki Seanie-kun, I promise you that."

Sean nodded slowly and sighed, shaking his head. As he went to speak again, Danzo stepped forward with a smirk. "I'm afraid you are in no true position to decline us Sean. If you choose to decline, we can simply force Jima or even your precious little Naruto to participate in the CRA. It's entirely your choice."

Irked at this, Sean prepared to charge at Danzo and end him right there and then, at least until he remembered something and began to laugh. "Actually, I'm afraid you can't. Jima's not even a part of this village yet, and therefore doesn't fall under its laws. She's simply a wanderer at the moment that has chosen to remain in Konoha for a period of time until she deems it's time to leave again. As for Naruto-kun…wellll…" Sean looked to the Hokage for a moment and nodded before turning back to Danzo. "Let's just say you can't exactly force us unless you want to experience some serious crap Danzo-teme."

Fuming, Danzo tried to figure out his next possible move, not wanting to push things any further on the subject until he had a valid reason for at least _one_ of them to be forced into the CRA. Then his eye lit up and he looked around the room. "It has also come to my attention that we have a Hyoton user in our midst, a member of the Yuki clan that we thought to be deceased. Her name is Haku Yuki and she performed admirably during the Chunin Exams, only losing in the preliminaries to Naruto Uzumaki. Am I correct thus far?"

The Hokage, Jima, and Sean each exchanged a knowing look before the Hokage nodded in response. "Yes, Haku demonstrated that she has the Hyoton kekkei genkai and is quite proficient in it thanks to some intense training from a variety of skilled senseis. But that is beside the point. I assume you have some kind of plan for her Danzo?"

Danzo, thinking he had outwitted the Uzumaki's and the precious Hokage, continued with his idea. "Yes. I propose that we arrange for this Haku Yuki to marry Sasuke Uchiha. They would make a powerful couple, and their children could be even more powerful than their parents. It would be a sound strategic move, and…"

Hiruzen began to chuckle at this as he raised his hand. "I'm afraid not Danzo. Neko-san, allow them in." Yugao, smirking underneath her mask, opened the door and exited the room temporarily. When she returned, she was followed by Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuga, Haku Yuki, Fu, and Sakura Haruno. As curious as most people were about the strange group of people, some on the Shinobi Council were smirking. "Everyone, allow me to introduce once again Naruto Uzumaki. The young woman to his right is the person in question at the moment, Haku Yuki. The pink-haired lass is Sakura Haruno. To her right is Fu, and the final one is Hiashi-san's beloved daughter and heiress to the Hyuga clan, Hinata Hyuga."

Hiashi looked to the Hokage curiously. "Hokage-sama, what is the meaning of this? Would you please care to explain?" Hiruzen nodded and hoped dearly that Hiashi wouldn't prove to be a problem for him. "You see, Haku Yuki has already fallen for our dear Naruto. But, as some of you may no doubt already be aware of, Naruto Uzumaki is in a relationship with Hinata Hyuga. However, during his match today with Haku-san, he…displayed some rather intimate feelings towards Haku as displayed by when they held each other and kissed."

Hiashi narrowed his eyes and glared down at Naruto, releasing a small wave of killing intent at the boy for betraying his daughter like that. When he felt the Hokage's eyes on him however, the Hyuga head stopped and closed his eyes, trying to reign in his emotions. "Due to the recent developments here tonight, I propose that we put Naruto Uzumaki in the CRA and require him to take at least four wives in an attempt to restore not only his clan, but the Yuki clan as well. I do believe this solves both problems, would you all not agree?"

Inoichi frowned at this and looked to the Hokage. "As much as I agree with this plan of yours, may I first ask the five of them a small question?" When the Hokage nodded, the blonde-haired Yamanaka clan head looked down to the five Genin and smiled politely at them. "Naruto-san, Sakura-chan, Fu-san, Haku-san, and Hinata-san…how do the five of you feel about this particular arrangement? Do you need time to discuss this? Are you ready for such a thing? Do you…even feel like sharing this young man? Do you even _love_ this young man?"

As Inoichi fired off question after question, Naruto felt his head spinning. Finally he held up his hand and smiled at the Clan heads. "Inoichi-sama, please do not worry. I…had my doubts at first, but after having time to talk with Hinata-chan and the others about my feelings for each of them…I'm actually okay with this idea. I care for each of them very dearly and I want nothing more than their happiness. Things were getting a bit hectic after some of the behavior that's been shown between me and some of the others in front of Hinata-chan and this seems like the best idea. And…if it helps Haku-chan and keeps Sean-sensei out of trouble, I'll gladly do this. Girls?"

Sakura was the first to step forward and speak out of the four girls. Bowing lowly to everybody, she put her best smile on her face and looked at everyone. "I know it may seem like a bit much, but I've spent so much time with these three women next to me that, if I truly have to share Naruto-kun with them…I would be okay with it. I trust them and I know that each of them loves Naruto-kun just as much as I do. I will gladly become one of Naruto-kun's wives if it means I will be allowed to remain close to him and love him as I truly want to from now onwards." Smiling at Naruto, Sakura reached over and squeezed his hand for a moment before the next girl stepped forward.

Fu stepped forward next and smiled as she smirked up at the Hokage. "Old man, you are a GENIUS for thinking this up! I didn't know what the heck was going on or what was planned for us, but I have to admit I LOVE you now! I might have to start calling you Jiji next. Hey…would that be okay with you if I started doing that too?" When the Hokage nodded with a smile, Fu smiled brightly and nodded right back. "Thank you…Jiji. I thank you very, very much for this opportunity. Naruto-kun is very, very dear to me. He rescued me from a village that tried to kill me. He showed me a home here in Konoha where people have been wonderful to me. Where people don't JUDGE me! I understand Naruto-kun's burden, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him. I truly, dearly love him and will always stand by him, no matter what happens. And…it kinda helps that these three standing here with me are some of my greatest friends here in Konoha. So if being with my honey means I have to share with them, I'm all for it. Hell, some of what we do in the future might be kinda kinky, right Naru-koi?" Giggling, she walked up and placed a soft kiss on Naruto's whiskered cheek as his face heated up in a terrible blush.

Hinata stepped forward next and motioned for Haku to stand beside her. "I love Naruto-kun dearly. I have for a very, very long time. He was the first to truly see me as a person. I…was amazed when Naruto-kun stood up for me, a complete stranger, when I was being bullied. Despite the fact that he was outnumbered and was beaten up, he protected me. And…all he seemed to care about was whether or not I was okay. It's because of Naruto-kun that I am the person I am today. I stand here strong and without my stutter…all because of him. Today…I was so upset with him because of his actions regarding Haku-san earlier…but after Hokage-sama called us all together and I had time to talk with these three…it all just seemed to fit. I'll admit that I'm not exactly happy about having to share my beloved, but I also understand how he thinks and how he feels. I also know that these three truly do love him and would never hurt him. So…if I have to share Naruto-koi, then so be it. We'll be happy together as one big family and nothing will stand in our way! I, Hinata Hyuga, will stand by my beloved and support him as his wife!"

Before Haku could speak, Hiashi stood up and slammed his hands down on the table, palms flat. "If you go through with this Hinata, then you shall not return home! No daughter of mine shall exhibit such behavior! You're essentially agreeing to act the part of a whore! If you do go through with this, do not return home tonight Hinata. I will have your servants pack your things and have them delivered to you, but from here on you're banished from the Hyuga clan! I shall disown you here and now!"

Sean looked absolutely livid at this and wanted nothing more than to tear Hiashi Hyuga a new hole, but Hinata's next words shocked him to the point he completely froze. "Fine then Tou-san. Or am I supposed to call you Hiashi-san now? I suppose it doesn't matter now, does it? You have never truly treated me with any respect, nor have you actually treated me as a father should treat his daughter. So my decision is quite easy to make Hiashi-san. If you no longer wish for me to be considered your daughter, then so be it. I will send for my things to be delivered to Naruto-koi's home. I will move in with him and live together with him as his fiancé."

As Hiashi went to speak again, Hiruzen shook his head at him. "I know what you are about to suggest Hiashi-san, and I forbid it. You will not place the **Hyūga Sōke no Juinjutsu (Hyūga Main Family's Cursed Seal Technique)** on Hinata-san. It is simply your feeble attempt to spite her for disobeying you and I will _not_ allow it. So take your seat and shut up Hiashi-san! Now, please speak Haku-san. You appeared as if you were about to speak before you were interrupted.

Haku nodded and placed a comforting hand upon Hinata's shoulder before speaking up. "I…I am the adopted daughter of Zabuza Momochi. He took me in and raised me after my kaa-san was murdered by my tou-san when I was but a young girl. During Naruto-koi's mission to the Land of Waves, we met each other and developed a connection, or bond if you prefer. He saved my life while Sean saved Zabuza-tou-san's life. Grateful as we were, we returned here to Konoha with my beloved Naruto-koi to become part of your great village. Even back then I felt an attraction to Naruto-koi, and it only progressed with the more time I spent with him here in Konoha. There is honestly no one I would rather be with than Naruto-koi, and should you try to force me into marrying someone else rather than agreeing to this arrangement as I am agreeing to it right now…I will not hesitate to end my life and you will not have my bloodline nor my future children."

Turning her gaze to Naruto, she hugged him close to her and kissed him passionately on his lips, refusing to let even an ounce of her feelings go unfelt by the one she loved. Upon parting, she clung to him and buried her face in his shoulder as she could feel tears welling in her eyes. "Please do not try to tear me apart from the one I love Council members. I beg of you. Think on it if you must, but it should be an easy choice. Not only do you get future children to join the shinobi ranks if they so choose that may have _my_ bloodline, but the Uzumaki clan will be rebuilt here in Konoha as well. What do you have to lose from accepting this proposition?!"

As Naruto wrapped his arms around her and held the Ice Mistress close, he glanced around at the others and then up at Sean with a look that promised that he would be seeing him later. After all, they _needed_ to talk about this and soon! Finally, after a time, his eyes rested on Danzo as he waited to hear if everyone would accept or not.

"I think it's a fair proposition. I agree to this." Inoichi stated as he sat back in his chair and smiled happily for the five Genin. Shibi nodded. "It is a sound strategy and the five genuinely care for one another. You have my approval." Soon everyone on the Shinobi Council agreed to this, along with Sean Uzumaki and Jima Uzumaki. Danzo and the other elders agreed after taking a brief period of time to discuss it amongst themselves. That just left the members of the Civilian Council.

After waiting a good while, the Civilian Council looked to a woman that appeared to be in her mid-to-late fifties to speak for them and state what they had decided as a group. Coughing slightly, she brought a folded napkin out of her inner shirt pocket and dabbed at her mouth before slipping it away once more. "Hokage-sama. After taking some time to deliberate over everything that has been presented to us…we have decided to agree to the proposition. But…"

The Sandaime Hokage sighed inwardly and felt like smashing his head into the table before him. _There just always has to be some kind of condition with these people doesn't there?! Even Danzo's more reasonable than the Civilian Council and that's truly saying something!_ The poor, old man thought to himself as he could feel the tears welling up in his eyes from the frustration he now felt.

The same woman looked to Sean and bowed her head. "First…let us offer our apologies to you Sean-sama. We…have been acting most harshly towards you and your, erm…relative. Second, we just have one condition. We won't ask you to apologize to Sasuke-kun as we know you shouldn't truly have to. But as one of the last Uzumaki's, would you please reconsider the CRA? Naruto may be an Uzumaki, but we do not know his heritage. His parents could be anybody and his abilities…well let's just forget about that. Naruto's in the finals and he's turning out to be a powerful young shinobi, but if you are to be clan head of the Uzumaki's, you'll need a wife, or perhaps even a few wives seeing as your clan is still endangered, even with the three of you being here and your parents and aunt being out there lost in the world somewhere. So…will you please consider it?" The woman asked as politely as she could, trying her best not to insult Naruto in front of the new Uzumaki representative.

Sean sighed and ruffled his hair a bit before looking to Jima. Seeing her defeated look and receiving a depressed shrug from her, Sean sighed again, this time angrily and looked to the Hokage. "Hokage-sama…if I do accept this…how many wives would _I_ have to take? I'm not like Naruto-kun, I don't really know enough about girls or behavioral patterns or any of that jazz to know what the hell I'm doing when it comes to romance! And since I'm on this topic…" The Wind God turned to stare at the elders and smirked. "No, I will _not_ just let you three or anyone else for that matter set me up with some random women you _think_ I'd go well with. I will find love on my own!"

Grumbling again, Sean looked back to the Hokage and held out his hands, palms up as he spoke. "Please Hokage-sama…just tell me the number of wives I'm supposed to have and when I'm supposed to have one by as Clan Head of the Uzumaki's…okay?"

The Hokage smiled softly as Sean and shook his head. "I apologize for all of this Sean-kun. I will set the number at three wives, though I'm sure some here would prefer to see you married to more than just that. But, seeing as how both you and Naruto-kun will be entering the CRA, there is no need for you to marry more than a few women. As for when you should have your first wife…does anyone have any suggestions?" Sean looked mortified at this. _Oh God, don't leave it up to them Hokage-sama!_ He thought frantically.

Soon, the same civilian woman rose from her seat and answered as politely as possible. "Sean-sama, Hokage-sama…perhaps a good time limit for him to have his first wife by would be in one year's time? That gives him plenty of time to meet a good woman, see how he truly feels for her, and even woo her enough to want to marry him if he can. The engagement may not last long and he may not be able to have a truly fanciful wedding, but what truly matters is that in the end he be happy with this woman. Am I not correct?"

The Hokage nodded and smiled. "That actually sounds like a good suggestion Hinako-san. Thank you. Sean, you are to find yourself a woman and wed her before the year given to you have passed you by. So do not panic, do not try to rush yourself, and take your time. Find the right woman for you and be happy. Date, spend time together, talk, do whatever you need to do. I'm sure you'll be just fine. Now, if that is all, I call this meeting finished. Thank you all for your time and have a most pleasant night. Farewell."

As soon as everyone had left the room, Sean stood there with Jima, Naruto, and his fiancés. Slumping down in a chair, the Wind God put a hand to his face and groaned. "Damn. Can't say I saw this coming. First I find out I'm an Uzumaki like Naruto…then I'm forced into the CRA too? What the hell?!" Jima frowned at this and sat down beside him in a chair of her own, gently squeezing his arm.

Naruto stepped forward and, after hesitating for just a few moments, threw his arms around his best friend and let a few tears flow. "You're…you're family. This whole time I never knew…_you_ never knew…we're **family** Sean! The most powerful guy I know besides Jiji-sama is a member of my clan…the Uzumaki clan! I…I can't believe it!" As Naruto spoke, his tears began to flow down his face in streams. He was happy, and yet sad at the same time because he truly felt for his itoko (cousin).

Naruto's fiancés and Jima joined in the hug and they all stayed like that for a while before they began to talk about everything they had learned, and Jima began to teach them about what she knew about the Uzumaki Clan and Uzushiogakure and their destruction. When it was all finally over, they were all starving and realized it was 11:00 PM so they decided to go out and enjoy a late dinner before they all went to the Uzumaki-Namikaze compound to get some rest.

_**The Next Day – 8:00 AM**_

Naruto and Sean were currently seated on the couch together; the two of them sipping some mint green tea as they tried conversed with one another. "So, how does it feel to be the Uzumaki clan head Sean-sensei?"

Sean chuckled softly and shook his head. "I'm still trying to process the information that I'm an Uzumaki _period_ Naruto-kun. We're…family. It's all just too damn weird to me. I have to admit that it does feel kind of nice, but at the same time…" Sighing, the Wind God shook his head and leaned back as he brought his teacup to his mouth. After taking another sip, Sean placed the teacup back upon the coffee table and shook his head. "I am happy Naruto-kun, but…this CRA thing? And duties as a clan head? On top of that, I'm still an assistant Jonin sensei. I really don't know what to think about any of this. And then there's the fact that today I'm going to go meet up with Temari-san so we can talk about whatever it is that's been on her mind. There's so much to think about, so much to do…I honestly just don't know where to start."

Naruto watched as his relative shook his head and smirked a bit. "Well, I know of one person that's _definitely_ into you: Anko-sensei. You could always try asking her out on a date and seeing how that goes. Other than that, I don't really know what else to suggest to you Sean-sensei. I don't know what it takes to be a clan head, nor do I know what Temari wants, so I wouldn't know what to suggest for that situation. But I do know one thing for sure." As Sean turned to him, the blonde Uzumaki grinned and pulled his best friend/relative into a tight hug. "We're family and nothing's going to change that. I'll be here to support you whenever you need me. So will Jima-obasan. And, as much as I'd like to talk with you about everything, I can wait. You've got a lot of stuff to take care of and we can talk later. Now go ahead and go get dressed for your 'date' Sean-sensei."

Sean sighed and thwacked Naruto in the back of the head with the palm of his hand. "Manuke (Dumbass)! Don't start that crap with me again Naruto. You know damn well it's not a date. Besides, she's a foreign ninja and I have no idea what the hell she really wants. On top of that, I still have to train you for the finals of the Chunin Exams. Despite the injury Sasuke received, the doctors will figure something out and he won't stay in the hospital the entire month. He's going to be training incredibly hard just for the chance to defeat you. I have to make sure you're ready for that little teme. Gah! There's just so damn much to do. Do you really have to tease me about that blonde Genin girl?"

Naruto laughed hard and nodded his head. "Yep! Now that I know we're family, you can expect a _lot_ more torture Sean-sensei! But I don't think I'm the one you _really_ have to worry about. Just be careful as you go about the day today Sean-sensei. If you need me for anything, I'm going to be training here at the Uzumaki-Namikaze estate's training grounds. I have a few techniques I've been trying to perfect that I think might come in really handy during the finals."

Sean sighed softly and finished off the rest of his tea before he spoke up again. "You think I have to watch out for Anko-chan and Ino-chan…don't you Naruto-kun?" When the blonde simply smirked at him, the blue-haired male shook his head and laughed lightly. "Yeah, I can see why you'd think that. I'll be careful, but I really don't think they're about to do anything. Personally…I'm hoping to speak with Temari about her brother. Gaara's taken an unnatural interest in you and it has me concerned. I really hope Jiraiya-sama shows up soon." Shaking his head, Sean rose from the couch and patted Naruto on the head. "I'd love to stay and talk, but I need to go get ready. Catch ya later Naruto."

With that said, Naruto watched as his relative walked off. As soon as Sean was out of sight, the blonde shinobi turned back to his tea and took another sip. "So, how long have you been standing there Jima-obasan? Are you going to follow him today as well?" Naruto asked, genuinely curious about what his other relative would be doing today.

Jima smirked and stepped forward out of her room. "I've been here the entire time. In answer to your other question…I do plan to keep an eye on Sean-kun throughout the day, but I also need to start training Hinata-chan for the finals. After Sean finishes up with Temari, I plan to take him to visit the Hokage again. We need to ask about Jiraiya-sama, and it would be a good idea to talk about clan duties as well. Among other things of course." With a shrug of her shoulders, Jima sat down beside Naruto and smirked. "Sooo, bet you didn't expect to find out you and I were family, didja Gaki?"

Naruto laughed a bit before he finished off his tea. "No, I honestly didn't expect that. But after last night's Council meeting I can understand why you kept quiet about it and didn't want to return here. Some of those people…ugh! It's a good thing you aren't a kunoichi of Konoha or they really would have been able to force you into being nothing more than a baby maker. The temes really will do anything to make our lives hell, won't they Jima-obasan?"

Jima sighed and nodded her head. "True. That's very true Naruto-kun. Buuut, that's why Hokage-sama worked everything out with us beforehand. We had to be ready for every circumstance. Danzo absolutely cannot be trusted. If he ever approaches you trying to coerce you into anything…refuse and get away from him. Understand Naru-kun?" Seeing Naruto nod, the green-eyed woman smiled softly at him and patted his head. "Good. I just don't trust him. I honestly believe that Danzo ties into Sean's past somehow. I feel like Danzo may have worked with whomever it is that's been targeting Sean. So…please, just be careful Naru-kun." Placing a kiss atop his head, Jima rose and left without another word. Naruto sat there and simply sighed. _So much is going on right now. Shikamaru, I'm starting to understand why you say everything is just so damn troublesome._

_**One Hour Later – Sean & Temari**_

Sean had approached the hotel Temari and her team had been staying in and retrieved her about ten minutes earlier. Currently they were seated in a restaurant, the both of them looking over their menus after ordering their drinks. Upon finding what he wanted to eat, the Wind God placed his menu back down upon the table and looked Temari over carefully. For some reason she was dressed a bit 'fancy' for this outing and he began to worry that she saw this as something a little more than what it was. Grumbling, the young man decided to speak up and try to get the ball rolling.

"Temari-san." Sean waited until she was done looking over the menu and watched as she placed it down on the table. The blonde woman placed her hands in her lap and smiled sweetly at him. Though, upon seeing the stern look on his face, the young woman grew a little nervous. "D-Did I do something wrong? Why are you looking at me like that Seanie?"

Sean sighed and shook his head. Before he could speak, their waitress returned and the both of them placed their orders. As soon as the woman left, he turned his gaze back to Temari and smiled softly. "Sorry for worrying you, but I just want to make sure of something. What do you view this current situation as? You're dressed somewhat…'fancy'."

Temari smiled and blushed a bit as she bowed her head. "Well, I wanted to talk with you about a few things. And…I wanted to see if we kind of…'connected' throughout the day." At this, Sean sighed quietly and nodded his head slowly as he closed his eyes. "I see. So…you're hoping to be able to consider this a date. Am I right?"

Temari nodded slowly at this, not quite sure what to say. The man before her sounded concerned and even slightly upset. Watching him, she wondered what she should say before he spoke again. "Temari-san…it might have been something worth considering if you weren't a foreign ninja, still just in your teenage years, and if I knew I could trust you. However, as it stands…I have some concerns I would like to address. So, before you get your hopes up or get upset…please just hear me out?"

Temari nodded slowly and Sean smiled softly at her as he reached over and gently patted her hand. "Sorry to demolish your hopes like that, but I want you to understand. First, can you tell me why you were so interested in learning about Naruto-kun? You see, he's…a very close friend to me. He isn't just a student and I want to make sure that you and your siblings aren't targeting him for some reason. Can you answer me this?"

Temari smiled and closed her eyes. "If you're worried about Naruto-san, please don't be. Kankuro and I have nothing against him and we mean him no harm. Naruto stood up for us in the Forest of Death during the second part of the Exams. In truth, I was simply curious about him. Naruto stood up to Kankuro, and has stood up to Gaara twice now, even choosing to strike him once. I've never met anyone like him. If he wasn't taken already, I might actually be a little smitten with him." She admitted honestly, giggling softly afterwards. "And I'm interested in you as well for different reasons. Call it a schoolgirl's crush if you will. We've all heard about your exploits Seanie. Believe me, I'm not here to try and woo you. I just wanted to talk with you and get to know you as a person. Thouuugh…I had other plans as well."

Meanwhile, in another part of the relationship a young blonde woman wearing a purple shirt and purple shorts was clenching her menu tightly as she listened in on the conversation taking place between Sean and Temari. Glancing to the woman across from her who was dressed in actual Jonin attire for a change that consisted of a flak jacket, black shirt, and a long beige skirt that stretched past her knees, Ino frowned at what she saw. "Anko-sensei, don't you think you're ordering a bit much? We're not here to pig out, we're here to spy!" She whispered harshly.

Anko finished placing her order and looked across at Ino who then proceeded to place her order. "Hey, I'm hungry. You dragged me out of my home before I could even eat a healthy breakfast. As for the conversation, as much as I hate it, I think we should continue listening and see what happens from here. Have a little more faith in Seanie-kun alright?" Ino sighed and nodded her head before handing off her menu to the waiter. As she turned her attention back to Sean and Temari's conversation, she could have sworn she saw Anko cast a smirk her way.

Temari giggled softly at the look on Sean's face and shook her head. "No, no, not plans such as those. Don't get the wrong idea. There are things I needed to talk with you about. I wasn't sure who I could trust with my information, but I really felt you or Naruto-san would be the ones to talk to about it."

Sean frowned at this and nodded his head. "Does this have to do with your brother? Gaara's unstable and I'm concerned. You may be the Kazekage's children…yes, I know, don't give me that look. Anyways, as I was saying, you may be his children, but even that doesn't truly warrant sending someone as truly unstable as Gaara into situations such as these where there's a high probability he would lose control. So I want you to tell me exactly what the hell's going on Temari-san. If your brother's planning something or if something else is going on, I want you to be able to confide in me. If that means I have to take you with me to the Hokage's Office so the three of us can speak in privacy without anyone attempting to eavesdrop on us…" At this, Sean cast a very quick glance Ino and Anko's way so they would know that he knew they were there. "I'll take us there. But first…it would be a good idea for the two of us to eat our breakfast. Wouldn't you agree?"

As Sean smirked at her, Temari found herself fidgeting about in her seat, growing increasingly more nervous as the seconds ticked by. Eventually she just bowed her head and remained silent as the food was delivered to their table. After thanking the waitress, she looked into Sean's eyes and frowned. "That…might actually be for the best Seanie. I don't want you or Naruto-san to be hurt…" After saying this, Temari began to eat politely while Sean eyed her curiously for a moment before digging into his own meal. _I'm sorry Baki-sensei, Gaara, Kankuro, but I just don't agree with this plan! Even if it means going against Tou-san's wishes, I have to let them know._

**A/N: I am prepared for le flames! Bring 'em on! lol. I know there's going to be complaints about the OC's being Uzumaki's, about how the Council meeting went, etc. etc. etc. Sooo...yeah.**

**Anyways, all joking aside, here's the dealio. Talked with some of my friends for a good while about this. Debating about whether to make up a new clan or put the OCs in one of the clans known about in canon. Due to a variety of circumstances and a somewhat long debate...we decided that it made sense to put Sean and Jima in the Uzumaki clan. It also allowed me to do all of what I did in this chapter. Then there's also the enactment of the CRA...it came a little earlier than I originally anticipated, but there's more to come later that will cause even more problems. Be prepared for that when the Sasuke vs. Naruto battle comes around.**

**Finally...this chapter was actually going to be much, _much_ longer, but I really had to cut it off before it became TOO long. If I had kept going, it was going to end up well over 20k words. Sooo...expect Chapter 12 to be in the works next. I can't just go to another story when I still have so much to write for this big 2-parter! lol.**

**Again, feel free to flame. It will amuuuse me. *rubs hands together and laughs evilly***


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 – Entrance of a Super Pervert & Sean's First Date!**

After finishing up their meal, Sean and Temari left the restaurant in silence. They quickly made their way to the Hokage Tower, leaving both Anko and Ino outside to wonder just what the heck was going on. It wasn't until Jima stepped up and placed a hand on Anko's shoulder that the two of them finally moved from where they were standing.

"Forget about that. I'm sure that if it's really important that we'll be told of it. For now, the three of us need to talk. Follow me." Slowly the two women nodded their heads and followed Jima to what appeared to be a small restaurant. "I know you two have eaten already. That's why I brought you here. We can simply share some tea and speak. It's…important. In a sense." The two women nodded again and walked in, sitting with the blue-haired Uzumaki woman in a small booth.

Anko frowned after placing her order and turned to stare hard at Jima. "This has to do with Sean…doesn't it Jima?" Jima simply nodded calmly and smirked at her friend. "Yes, it does. You see, there was a rather…interesting council meeting last night that Sean and I were a part of. Seeing as the two of you are so affectionate with Sean-kun, I think you deserve to know. I don't think he's going to tell the two of you anytime soon after all."

Ino frowned at this and began tapping her fingers on the table in annoyance. She was still somewhat jealous of Jima for what she considered 'getting way too close to _her_ Seanie-kun'. "What is it? Why would Seanie-kun try to hide anything from us? He trusts us…doesn't he?"

Jima sighed and shook her head. "It's not about trust here Ino. The fact of the matter is that my cousin…he's troubled. There's a lot on his mind at the moment and he's having a rather difficult time sorting through everything." Anko frowned at this and was about to speak when their waiter returned with their tea. Taking a small sip, she placed the cup down and glared at Jima. "What happened last night? Did the Council do something? If this has to do with what happened to their precious 'Sasuke-kun' then I'll sick my snakes on all of them!"

Jima smiled softly and shook her head again. "Oh, the Council _tried_, but we already planned for everything. Sasuke tried to sick his precious 'pets', the idiots on the Civilian Council and the three elders: Danzo, Homura, and Koharu, on Sean to punish him for 'assaulting the last Uchiha'. Sean…didn't exactly help himself any, but it all worked out in the end."

Before Jima could go on, Anko held her hand up and shook her head. "What the hell do you mean he didn't help himself? All Sean had to do was tell them he didn't do anything wrong. The Uchiha gaki attacked him, not the other way around. There were plenty of witnesses to vouch for that."

The blue-haired, green-eyed woman nodded her head. "Yes, and Sean told them that. But his disrespectful attitude to the Civilian Council and the elders didn't exactly earn him any points. My cousin was incredibly rude to them. All things considered, it's hard to blame him. It would have been best if he had kept calm and been respectful however." With a shrug of her shoulders, Jima simply smiled and shook her head. "Ahhh, slugging Danzo like that and standing up for Seanie-kun sure was fun though."

After a few moments of silence with the three of them simply sipping their tea, Ino glaring dangerously at Jima for talking about Sean in such a way the entire time, Jima spoke up again. "You two truly care about Sean…don't you?" Seeing the two women before her nod, the beautiful green-eyed woman nodded again and giggled softly. "Even though you know next to nothing about him, what you do know seems to be enough." Sighing lightly, Jima finished her tea and nodded as if assuring herself that this was the right thing to do. "Sean and I are members of the Uzumaki clan."

Anko's and Ino's eyes both widened somewhat as they stared at Jima. Ino was the first to speak. "So…does this mean that you two are related to Naruto?" Jima giggled softly and nodded her head. "Yes Ino. Sean-kun, Naruto-kun, and I are all members of the Uzumaki clan. I'm sure that you two may not know much about our clan, but we were a pretty prominent clan back in the day. Fuinjutsu masters, immensely powerful, longevity, we live longer lives than everybody else…lots of great stuff and nobody these days seems to know a damn thing about our forgotten clan. You people in Konoha wear our clan symbol on your clothes and ninja gear for crying out loud! Who the hell decided we weren't important enough to teach about anymore? It sucks!"

Anko blinked a couple of times and waved her hand in front of Jima's face. "Umm…Jima-san? Are you okay?" Jima looked at Anko and put on a big smile. "I'm okay! Just…frustrated. Iwa and Kumo wiped our clan out. You'd think that in all the precious history lessons they teach in the academy here that there would be at least some mention of us, but there's pretty much nothing. We were just…forgotten. Just irks me okay? On top of that, little Naru-kun was beaten constantly before Seanie stepped in and stopped that. One of our last clan members has been treated with so much disrespect and abuse…I honestly can't see how some people can stand it here with such awful people. But whatever. Sean and Naruto are happy here, so I'll just let that go for now.

Anyways, enough about that. When the Council learned that Sean and I are two of the last living Uzumaki clan members, they tried to pull some shit with us. They tried to force Sean and me into the CRA." Before she could go on, Ino interrupted. "What's the CRA? Can you explain that to me real quick?"

Anko sighed and decided to answer for Jima. "The CRA, also known as the Clan Restoration Act, is a measure they use to ensure a clan doesn't go extinct. It's a measure that's rarely used, but it works. It's actually something of a miracle they haven't already forced Sasuke into this particular act, especially since he's pretty much helpless right now and can't do much of anything what with him missing his hand and all." At Ino's look, the Snake Mistress raised her hand and laughed lightly. "Sorry, sorry. Anyways, what the CRA entails is that the person slapped with the CRA is forced to take on multiple partners to ensure that he, or she, has as many children as possible in an effort to rebuild the clan. Seeing as there are so few members of the Uzumaki clan even left alive, and with how powerful they apparently were in their prime, it's understandable that the Council would try to get their greedy claws into Seanie-kun and Jima-san here."

Ino looked absolutely appalled at such an act before she turned to Jima. "Please tell me you two refused?!" Jima giggled softly and nodded her head. "Oh, they tried. When we refused, Danzo decided to try and give Sean an ultimatum seeing as I couldn't be ordered around. After all, I'm not part of the village yet." Smirking to herself, Jima closed her eyes and nodded proudly at this.

When she heard both Ino and Anko urging her to go on, the blue-haired woman giggled lightly. "Sorry, sorry. Anyways, Danzo tried to make Sean choose. Either he could become part of the CRA, or Naruto could." Ino frowned at this and Anko looked furious. She cared for the little Gaki as well. He was similar to her and they got along really well for the most part. "That's actually where the genius of our plan with Sandaime-sama came into play. We prepared for that eventuality."

Jima saw the looks on their faces and grinned. "Your Hokage called Naruto, Fu, Sakura, Hinata-chan, and Haku into the room. After a bit of talking and the five of them giving their speeches and whatnot, Naruto was placed under the CRA with those four agreeing to become his future wives. Therefore, it essentially solved our dilemma so long as the majority of the Council agreed."

Anko frowned and shook her head. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that _somebody_ tried to screw with this idea of yours?" Ino nodded her head, obviously thinking the same line of thought as the tokubetsu jonin. Jima nodded sadly and closed her eyes. "Everyone agreed…except for the Civilian Council. They proposed an arrangement with Sean-kun…"

Ino and Anko immediately disliked what they were hearing. Glancing into each other's eyes, they both nodded, a silent agreement being made between them that they would slaughter the entirety of the Civilian Council later if need be, before they turned back to Jima to await the news. Jima smirked at this and shook her head. "You two really are something else. May be incredibly jealous of one another, and even me for that matter, but you make good companions when somebody threatens Seanie. It's good to see."

The two women nodded again as they motioned for her to speak further on the topic. Jima smiled softly at this. "The Civilian Council said that they would agree to the CRA with Naruto if Sean entered into the CRA as well. Sean…was essentially backed into a corner." Anko and Ino snarled at this, but in the backs of their minds they were also thinking about what it'd be like to actually share their precious Seanie with each other. All-in-all, they were having both pleasant and extremely violent thoughts at the same time. "Sean…asked how much time he had, the fewest number of women he'd have to be with, and stated his own conditions as well."

Jima looked into their eyes and smiled softly at them. "In short…Sean gets to choose the women he will be with. The minimum number of wives he has to take is three. He has one year to marry his first wife. And finally, he gets to choose who he takes as his wives." The woman's eyes suddenly lit up as she remembered something else and she began to grin widely. "I almost forgot to tell you. Sean's also the new clan head of the Uzumaki clan! He'll be stuck attending those stupid Council meetings, but he's also got some political sway and all that other good stuff. Though with that I'm sure comes paperwork and shit that I'm glad I don't have to bother with at all." Shivering at the concept, she looked into their eyes and grinned. "Enough of that though. The reason I told you all this is because…"

_**Hokage's Office – A few minutes after Jima's group left**_

Temari and Sean were currently seated before the Sandaime Hokage. The ANBU had abandoned the room per the Hokage's orders and the necessary privacy seals had been put up throughout the room. At this point, both men were looking to the lone female in the room, simply waiting for her to begin with what she needed to say. Eventually, Temari finally let out a heavy sigh and decided it was best to start from the beginning.

"As you no doubt already know, I am the Yondaime Kazekage's daughter. My two younger brothers are on my team with me and we have each progressed into the finals of the Chunin Exams. It's…all going according to plan thus far." Sean's and Hiruzen's eyebrows rose at this, but they said nothing. "Some time ago, Tou-san came to an agreement with…with Orochimaru of the Sannin. Traitor to your village."

The blonde girl looked into Hiruzen's eyes and nodded slowly before casting her glance out the window. "Otogakure and Sunagakure's forces have combined. They are planning to destroy Konoha during the final rounds of the Chunin Exams. Gaara…my brother…he's essentially our 'secret weapon'." Sean nodded at this, already expecting something like this with the boy's attitude. The Hokage frowned and looked deeply into her face as he reached into his desk and pulled out his pipe. "Tell me about this brother of yours Temari-san."

Temari nodded slowly and looked into the elderly man's eyes before glancing over at Sean. "Wind God-sama? You already have a few guesses about Gaara-otouto…don't you?" Sean smiled softly at her and nodded. "I've been curious about something, yes. The bloodlust, his eyes, his posture…is he a Jinchuriki? And if so…which one does he hold?" Temari frowned at this and nodded her head. "Gaara-otouto…is the Jinchuriki of the Ichibi. It…Gaara can't sleep. He frightens me…"

When the blonde girl felt a warm hand gently gripping her shoulder, she looked up into Sean's eyes and found herself blushing slightly. "Don't worry too much. There are…a few surprises we have in store. Hokage-sama? I request permission to reveal _that_ secret to Temari-san. She's taken a big leap of faith in us, and I would like to place some trust in her now as well." The Hokage took a few quick puffs of his pipe and nodded with a grim expression on his face. "Go ahead."

Temari blinked, unsure as to what was going on before she noticed the look on her idol's face. "Temari-san? Did you happen to pick up on something Fu-chan said during her fight with Neji?" Temari frowned and thought back for a moment. The first thing she remembered was how much of a prick she thought that Hyuga boy was, but then her eyes lit up in realization at something Fu said during the fight. "_You didn't have to live my life, or Naruto-kun's life for that matter. You don't need to know the damn details, but a punk like you doesn't know true suffering yet. We struggled every day and we're starting to make something of ourselves_."

Seeing this look of realization dawning on Temari's face, Sean grinned. "I see you've figured it out. Naruto Uzumaki and Fu-chan are both Jinchuriki. Fu houses the Nanabi while Naruto…my relative…houses the Kyuubi. They know of your otouto's pain. I believe that if given the chance…they can truly help your otouto. So when the time comes...I say we leave the situation up to Naruto-kun and Fu-chan and let them handle Gaara. Do you agree Hokage-sama?"

Sean looked to the Hokage, who still had that grim expression on his face. After a time, Hiruzen nodded slowly and smiled at Sean. "I agree Sean-kun. I think that would be for the best. Temari-san." Looking into her eyes, the Hokage could see a bit of hope shining there. Smiling softly, he took another few puffs of his pipe before glancing towards Sean and then back to Temari quickly. "What can you tell us about these invasion plans?"

_**Uzumaki-Namikaze Clan Compound – Three Hours Later**_

Naruto, Sean, and Jima sat together in the living room of the main Uzumaki-Namikaze building simply sipping tea again. Jima had managed to join Sean after Temari had left the Hokage's office. The three of them talked about Sean's new duties as the Uzumaki clan head and Jima had taken the opportunity to discuss Jiraiya, the legendary Toad Sannin with both of them. After being reassured that he would be appearing in Konoha soon, Jima seemed to accept his answer and went quiet as her cousin and the Sandaime finished with their conversation.

Upon their return to the compound, they found Naruto, Fu, and Sakura all training. Apparently Haku and Hinata had gone out to meet with Kakashi about coming up with some kind of special training schedule. Fu had set up a time to meet with Zabuza later that night so she could speak with him about the possibility of undergoing training with him. Jima knew that Hinata would decline Kakashi's offer so that she could train under the water specialist. Haku would more than likely gladly take Kakashi up on his offer for further training, so that meant the ice user would be off with him for most of the month while the remaining member of Team 7 would most likely train with his clan to further his techniques.

As the cousins watched the three train together, Sean thought about what he would be teaching Naruto for the month. He had agreed to train Temari as well, but he also suggested she learn what she could from her current sensei as well, a man by the name of Baki. But more than that, Temari had been assigned a mission by both the Sandaime Hokage and Sean: learn whatever more she can about the invasion plans and report her findings to them whenever she could after learning something valuable to them. Therefore, it was important that she spend more time with her sensei than with Sean, although he would very gladly teach her more frequently if he could.

When they arrived at the compound, the cousins had looked around for a time for any sign of the younglings. Upon finding the three aforementioned Genin training together, the duo decided to watch and wait for a time. It wasn't until about ten minutes in that they decided that they would jump in and attack the three, therefore forcing a three-on-two battle. It turned into a rather interesting training scenario that ended with all three Genin lying on the ground panting in defeat while Sean and Jima had barely broke a sweat.

Now this brings us to the current situation where Fu and Sakura were both out and about and the three Uzumaki's resting, simply relaxing until they decided it was time to begin training again. After a time, Jima suddenly set her teacup down and stood up from the couch she was sitting on. "I noticed earlier when I was wandering the premises that you happen to have a rather comfortable-looking hot spring nestled in the back, hidden amongst some trees. I'm going to go relax for a time. You two feel free to do whatever you want." Stretching, pushing out her chest somewhat, catching Sean's eyes despite his attempts not to watch, she smirked at him and walked off leaving Naruto to glare at his sensei.

"Sean…what the heck is wrong with you?" The blue-haired male blinked and looked back at Naruto. "Huh? What do you mean?" The blonde narrowed his eyes further and set his teacup down before shoving his right index finger into his sensei's chest. "You were checking out your own cousin! That's just wrong you baka!" At this, Sean frowned and shook his head. "I was not. Why would I even do something like that? I mean, look at what I did to Anko's trench coat during the preliminaries after your match. Shredded it, and didn't even sneak a peek at her. I was very respectful…until she did what she did and my mind went haywire…and shut down…" Turning red, Sean lowered his gaze and scratched at the tip of his nose. "Oh Kami-sama, what the hell is wrong with me? Women come onto me and all I can do is freak out. Then here I am, getting caught eyeing my own cousin? I've got some serious problems."

Naruto groaned and gently slugged Sean in the arm. "You've got that right. But I know what'll help you take your mind off of it. More training with me!" The blonde gaki grinned and took his relative's hand before leading him back outside to his own personal training ground. "You'll be training me this month, right Sean-sensei?" When Sean simply nodded, the blonde grinned more. "Then let's start! I assume you've got some cool techniques or something to show me right?"

_**Nearby – Outskirts of the Uzumaki-Namikaze Compound**_

After a rather poor turnout at the public Konoha Hot Springs, a rather sullen-looking old man wearing an odd getup was wandering Konoha in search of some valuable 'research material'. As it currently stood, the poor old guy hadn't had much luck at all throughout the day and was just about to give up when he noticed where he was. _This is my old student's place. Last I checked it was abandoned, so why doesn't it look that way now?_

Curious, Jiraiya, legendary Toad Sannin, made his way onto the premises, using his skills to bypass what security measures had been set up by whoever lived there currently. However, as he was set to explore, the old pervert's eyes fell upon something wondrous: a hot spring! Grinning to himself, the old man figured he might as well check to see if there was any valuable research material to be had by visiting the onsite location.

Sneaking over, the white-haired old man quickly snuck up into one of the trees and leered down into the springs. The sight that greeted him made his nose bleed and he began to grin quite perversely as he fished out his notebook and began to jot down his notes. What the man didn't expect however was to suddenly be slammed out of the tree into the ground below by three different sources.

Groaning in agony, Jiraiya pulled himself out of the hole in the ground that he made upon impact and looked to see what, or more importantly _who_ hit him so hard. What he was met with had him sweating and sent him into an absolute panic. There, standing before him were three individuals, each one radiating such deathly killing intent that he felt his life flashing before his very eyes. _Shit!_

Sean stepped forward, a small wind dagger clutched ever so tightly in his right hand as he glared down at Jiraiya. Glancing to his right, he sighed at Jima's appearance. "Jima-chan, you might want to go relax and leave this to Naruto-kun and myself. You're not exactly, erm…'clothed' properly to be dealing with this old pervert."

Jima looked down at her body, clad only in a towel that left very, _very_ little to the imagination, and simply shrugged. "You don't like this Seanie-_kun_?" She teased, leaving him to shake his head and sigh exasperatedly. "C-Cousin…please? I don't know what's going on with you right now, but you've been acting oddly since we returned home from that meeting. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were up to something." Jima snickered at this and waved off his concerns. "Yeah, yeah. Listen, I'm not leaving until we get some answers from this creep. I'm not exactly about to let some creepy old pervert get away with sneaking a peek while I'm naked in the damn hot spring!"

As Sean went to say something in reply, Jiraiya rose to his feet. It seemed he had finally had enough of the insults and wanted to set things straight. Suddenly taking a rather odd pose that put all three ninja before him on guard, the elderly Sannin smirked at the three of them. "Enough of the insults people! Standing before you now is the one, the only, legendary super pervert, master sage of Mount Myoboku, summoner of the almighty toads, Jiraiya of the Sannin!"

Once he looked back down at the three before him, Jiraiya's eyebrows began to twitch angrily. Naruto looked absolutely bewildered, Jima looked about ready to kill him, and Sean looked stunned beyond belief. "Those…are _not_ the reactions I was expecting. But enough of that. I can understand why the kid's here, but what about you two? What the hell are you two doing on my student's property?!"

Naruto stepped forward at this point and stared up at him. "These two are Sean and Jima Uzumaki. They…are my family members ero-baka! It's you who happens to be trespassing on _my_ family's estate. You're lucky we even allowed you to explain yourself!"

Sean, after regaining his composure, took this moment to look over at his cousin. "Jima-chan. _This_ is the guy we've been waiting for?! I was expecting a little something more. Instead we get this old pervert that actually seems…_proud_ of his perverted ways." At this Jima smirked and looked over at her cousin. "This coming from a man that reads that damnable Icha Icha series? Yeah, some could say similar things about you Cousin."

Before the Wind God could retort, he felt his hands engulfed by Jiraiya's gigantic hands. Twitching, he looked into the elderly man's face and felt horrified. "You're a fan of my books?! Kakashi and Sensei aren't the only ones! Yes!" At this, the three Uzumaki's looked bewildered. That was until Jiraiya pulled out the newest edition of the Icha Icha series and slapped it into Sean's hands. "Faithful fan of my series, I present to you the newest edition of my series! Tell me, what do you enjoy thus far? Any special 'requests'?"

When the man threw an arm around his shoulders, Sean found himself blushing a bit as he stared at the book in something akin to curiosity and awe. "W-Well…I personally enjoy the storyline. Despite the things people may say about these books, you're actually quite the gifted novelist Jiraiya-sama. Kakashi and Sarutobi-sama may be more inclined to enjoy the, erm…well, the more 'adult' content of the books, but I'm a fan for simpler reasons. The books are quite good, very well-written, and I enjoy them a lot. So…thank you for this gift." Bowing his head to Jiraiya, Sean found himself blushing further when he felt himself being dragged off by Jima so she could have a little 'talk' with him.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya and Naruto turned to each other and simply watched each other for a time. "Sooo…you're Jiraiya huh? You know, Jima-obasan's been wanting to speak with you." Jiraiya perked up at this and gained a lecherous grin. When the blonde immediately stomped on his food to rid the perverted old man of those thoughts, the Sannin glared down at him. "What the hell was that for?!"

The young man groaned and shook his head. "For thinking of Jima-obasan that way! Sean-sensei and Jima-obasan are looking for Sean-sensei's parents and Jima-obasan's mother! They're also looking for more Uzumaki's. She'll probably ask you sometime soon if you have any information on them. She at least knows Sean-sensei's parents' names, but she hasn't told any of us yet." Naruto admitted with a shrug of his shoulders as he looked over to where Jima was lecturing Sean about something.

Jiraiya frowned at that and shook his head. "And they think I might have some information?" Looking down at Naruto again, the old man sighed heavily when he simply nodded in response. "Figures. I might know something, but it's not much if it _does_ relate to their queries. I could probably get in contact with some of my contacts and see if any of them have any more information on the missing Uzumaki's, but it wouldn't do to get anyone's hopes up."

Naruto nodded in understanding as Sean and Jima rejoined them. Jiraiya looked at the three of them for a time before looking at Naruto again. "Hey Naruto. Seeing as how you're living here, do you know who your parents are?" When Naruto nodded, he quickly then pointed to Sean and Jiraiya looked his way, a curious expression on his face. "Yep, Sean-sensei told me about them and then I talked with Jiji." Jiraiya nodded at this and continued to stare at Sean skeptically. _How could he know anything about them? I remember mostly everyone Minato-kun and Kushina-san were friends with and this guy's not ringing any bells. Just who exactly is he?_

Seeing the look Jiraiya was giving his sensei, Naruto narrowed his eyes again. "Listen ero-baka! Sean-sensei's helped me most of my life! Those…people of Konoha…they beat me, called me a demon, hassled me, they even went so far as to try and _kill_ me before Sean-sensei stepped in. So whatever problems you have with my relative let them go. Sean-sensei's a great man! And besides that, Sean-sensei's the new Uzumaki clan head, so it'd be kind of stupid to pick a fight with him. Especially when he's got a nickname such as 'the Wind God'."

Jiraiya's eyes widened for just a moment before he nodded his head and looked Sean over carefully. _That's a name I've heard a lot during my travels. Sensei has talked quite highly of him as well. And from my reports…_ The Sannin shook his head and frowned as he eyed the man curiously for a moment longer. _What is it about this man? Even Orochimaru-teme's taken an interest in him. I guess I need to talk with Sensei and decide for myself what to do. It's too soon for me to determine if he's truly trustworthy or not around my godson._

Sean eyed Jiraiya as well. He was honestly quite curious about this so-called 'Super Pervert', but for a different reason. "Jiraiya-sama, I was wondering something." The white-haired man nodded to Sean to signal that he could continue. "You're a Fuinjutsu master, correct?" Again, Jiraiya nodded. "I myself only know simple Fuinjutsu, but it came easily to me and I taught Naruto what I could. Jima-chan knows more than the both of us, but she's admitted that she doesn't have the same kind of skills as, say…Kushina Uzumaki or the Yondaime Hokage for instance. And if I remember correctly, you were Minato-sama's sensei, were you not?"

Once more, Jiraiya nodded and Naruto's jaw dropped as he observed the elderly Sannin with new emotions running their course on his face. However, he also seemed to observe that Jiraiya and Sean were skeptical of each other, even wary. Despite a mutual respect, they didn't quite trust the other. There was something that hadn't been said just yet and he was curious.

Sean smirked and folded his arms across his chest. "Before I get into my request that I'm about to make, there's something I feel I should ask. Why have you come now? Why haven't you taken an interest in your student's _son_? You and Minato-sama were awfully close from what I've heard, so shouldn't you have at least _tried_ to be there for Naruto-kun?"

Jiraiya scowled and narrowed his eyes as he glared down at the man only a few inches shorter than he was. "Naruto is _my_ godson! Don't you think I wanted to be there for him? My spy network…" When Sean raised his hand to silence him, Jiraiya was practically snarling at this point. Sean nodded his head towards Naruto. "Don't try to explain it to me Jiraiya-sama. Naruto-kun's the one you need to talk to. More importantly, he's the one you should _apologize_ to. If you truly are his godfather as you say, then I'm sure you two have a lot of time to make up for. You failed him in the beginning Jiraiya. The first six years of Naruto-kun's life…these villagers did things to him that shouldn't even be _mentioned_. Somebody as powerful as you could have surely protected him if you were here. Your spy network may be important, and I admit it's certainly quite useful, but you could have stopped by more often and spent some damn time with your godson Jiraiya-_sama_! You couldn't have been so busy that you were prevented from visiting your home and your godson at least once or twice a month…correct?! The only thing I can think of that would keep you away is your own selfishness. What was it that _really_ kept you Jiraiya-_sama_? Women? Booze? Your own _fear_ of what your godson would think of you for abandoning him like that when you could have shown him that somebody truly **cared** for him?!"

Naruto stepped over to Jima and gently gripped her hand. "I…uhh…I've never seen Sean-sensei so furious before. This isn't going to end well…is it?" Jima looked down and gently squeezed her relative's hand with a reassuring smile. "Relax Naruto-kun, everything will be fine." Naruto slowly nodded and watched as Jiraiya and Sean simply continued to stare at each other. The way these two behaved around each other so far had been really strange to him. At one point, they were practically enemies. The next, Jiraiya was bestowing upon Sean something that seemed like a true treasure to the Uzumaki. And now they were back at each other's throats. It just didn't make any sense to him. But more than that was the fact that this man claimed he was his very own _godfather_!

Jima looked down and watched as the blonde brought a hand to his head and frowned as he visibly shook. Hugging him close to her with one hand, she continued to hold the towel tight to her body with her free hand. Glancing back at the men, the blue-haired woman frowned and shook her head. "Enough of your damn bickering you two! Shut up already and get to your point Sean Uzumaki before I kick your ass! The two of you and all this damn bickering are upsetting Naruto-kun!"

Sean sighed and brushed a hand through his hair again as he looked to his relatives. Upon noticing Naruto's conflicted emotions, the blue-haired man shook his head and closed his eyes before turning back to Jiraiya. "Fine then. My request to you Jiraya is _this_." Pointing a finger at Naruto, the Wind God smirked to himself. "Teach your godson."

Jiraiya looked dumbstruck at this as he looked between his godson and Sean. Before he could question the Wind God, Sean spoke up again. "Yes, teach him. Naruto has easily made his way into the final rounds of the Chunin Exams and needs further training for this month. As a seal master, I'm sure you could easily teach him some useful Fuinjutsu. But, there's something else I'm sure you can teach him as well." Smirking at their expressions, Sean walked over and pushed a finger into Jiraiya's chest. "The Toad Summoning Contract. It would be perfect for him, wouldn't you agree Jiraiya-sama? Like father, like son. But beyond that, there's something else." Turning to look at Naruto, Sean grinned wide and enveloped the young man in a tight hug before looking back up at Jiraiya. "If anyone can help Naruto figure out the mystery behind the Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Jutsu), I'm sure you can provide some assistance, can't you Jiraiya?"

At this point, the Toad Sage had to step in. Shaking his head, he knelt down and smiled at his godson. "I'm afraid the Hiraishin's something I've never figured out. I can promise you this though: Let me take a look at the notes and I _might_ be able to provide my own theories on the subject. It's the best I can do." Looking to Sean, Jiraiya frowned a moment as he thought over the question he was about to ask. Deciding to just say 'screw it and throw caution to the wind', Jiraiya put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and smiled. "How about the Rasengan? How is your progress on that particular technique coming along?"

Naruto, still rather confused about the situation, shrugged his shoulders and stepped back. Without speaking a word to either of the men, he held up both hands and formed a double Rasengan. "**Tsuin Rasengan (Twin Spiraling Spheres)**!" Naruto slammed both spheres into the ground and dust shot up all around them. When the dust finally cleared, Jiraiya stood amazed at the sheer size of the craters. Before he could say anything however, Naruto found himself slammed into the ground by a powerful fist to the back of his head.

Everyone looked to Jima and saw a vein throbbing on her forehead. "You little gaki! Warn a girl before you go and do something stupid like that! Now where the hell has my towel gone to?!" Sean was blushing a very, _very_ deep red and he was on the verge of passing out as he found it incredibly difficult to pry his eyes off of Jima's naked form. However, just as the darkness was about to take over, Sean snapped to when he heard perverted giggling. Turning to his left, Sean's killer intent went through the roof as he witnessed the super pervert quickly jotting notes down in his precious little notebook. Sean quickly formed a massive scythe made of pure wind and swung it at Jiraiya. "DIE!"

_**Hokage's Office – Later that Night**_

Jiraiya carefully snuck his way into Hiruzen's office and sat down before him in a rather comfortable chair. Raising a hand to his head, he groaned in pain and looked at his sensei. "That should teach me to never piss them off again. I'm not sure who was hitting me harder: Sean or his cousin. Between the two of them, I swear I could see the Shinigami itself."

The Hokage sighed softly and lit his pipe before taking a few puffs. Looking his old student over for a moment, Hiruzen couldn't help but shake his head. "You peeped on Jima, didn't you Jiraiya-kun?" Jiraiya sighed heavily and raised his good arm. "Only for a few short minutes. I never realized Minato had that kind of thing on his property before. I was…curious." When his sensei sighed deeply, Jiraiya groaned. "I met my godson, Old Man. It's good to see he's made it to the finals of the Chunin Exams. But what happened to that plan of yours?"

Hiruzen shook his head and smiled sadly. "I'm not even sure how Sean-kun knows all that he does. Despite orders, he chose to tell Naruto everything he could shortly after Naruto-kun's sixth birthday. And to be quite honest with you Jiraiya-kun…I'm grateful to him that he chose to do so. Sean took it upon himself to care for Naruto-kun, even though he could never officially adopt him as his own. Naruto's become quite the powerful Genin, and if my predictions are correct he should easily make Chunin after the completion of these exams. I would ask you if you would care to help further the boy's training, but something tells me I shouldn't bother."

Jiraiya chuckled softly at that and pulled a cloth away from his face, revealing his bloodied lips and cheeks, and even a terribly bruised left eye. "Heh, I pissed off the local 'Wind God' once they learned I was the boy's godfather. But after some talking…I agreed to help teach the gaki. Fuinjutsu, teaching him how to summon the Toads, heck, I've even agreed to help teach him other things as well. This Sean Uzumaki guy though…he's already taught him so much. From what I gathered, Naruto soaks things up like a sponge. He's quite the knowledgeable little gaki, isn't he Sensei?"

Hiruzen chuckled softly and nodded his head. "Yes, little Naruto-kun is a brilliant young man. He may not have the same kind of raw intelligence that the Nara clan members do, but he's a very fast learner. I've considered teaching little Naruto-kun a few things myself actually." Jiraiya looked a little stunned by this knowledge, but he didn't comment on it. Instead, he chose to ask about something else. "Sensei." The tone of Jiraiya's voice caught Hiruzen's attention and he looked deep into the older man's eyes. "I want to know everything you can tell me about Sean and Jima Uzumaki. Are you sure they are who they claim to be and not just…"

The elderly Sarutobi raised his hand for silence and shook his head. "Oh hush Jiraiya-kun! Sean and Jima are trustworthy people. Just because they're around little Naruto-kun doesn't mean they have any ulterior motives." Jiraiya nodded his head calmly at this and was about to speak his apologies, but Hiruzen quickly quieted him again. "I understand your concerns though Jiraiya-kun, and I see no problem in telling you about Sean-kun's past. He's…special. I'm sure you know that already." Seeing Jiraiya nod, the elderly, kind-hearted Hokage grinned and began to regale his old student with tales of Sean and his history in Konoha.

_**One Week Later – Sean – Uzumaki-Namikaze Compound**_

The past week had been an event-filled one. Naruto had begun his training with Jiraiya and was currently out with both Jiraiya and Fu. He had not only begun teaching Naruto in Fuinjutsu, but he was also trying to help the two Jinchuriki in harnessing the power of their tailed beasts to further enhance their abilities. Though today was also the day that Jiraiya would allow Naruto to sign the Toad Summoning Contract, and as much as Sean wanted to be there to witness his test, he knew he couldn't be.

This currently brings us to Sean's current predicament. He has been standing in front of his bathroom mirror trying to determine if he should change his clothing for the thirteenth time in the past hour for more than a few minutes now. Finally deciding that he didn't like his tie, the Wind God tore it off and, after stepping back out of the bathroom once more, threw it onto his bed while he tried to find another one that might look better with his current outfit. It wasn't until Hinata stepped in that he finally stopped fidgeting about.

"Sean-sensei, you might want to calm down." Sean looked to her and nodded before sitting upon his bed. Lying back, he let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes as Hinata sat beside him. "I understand you're nervous, but I don't think you should be. Everything will be just fine, I promise you that." Reaching over, she gently adjusted Sean's shirt before brushing a few strands of hair out of his face and smiling at the Uzumaki clan head. "I don't think Anko-sensei really cares about how you look on the date, but I think it's sweet that you're so nervous about looking 'right' for her."

Sean smiled and patted Hinata on her head, laughing lightly at what she said. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Still, any suggestions? As you already know, I'm nervous as hell. I don't know what the heck to expect. When she asked me out yesterday…" Hinata started giggling and poked him in the forehead. "Just calm down Sean-sensei. First off, you look just fine in what you're currently wearing, so I wouldn't change anything about your appearance. Second, I want you to try and remain calm. Anko-sensei asked you out for a reason. She _likes_ you very, very much. I'm not sure about how strongly she feels for you, but the way she behaves when she's near you…it's very obvious that she wants to be with you. And I think that you want to be with her too, don't you Sean-sensei?"

At this, Sean blushed and scratched at the tip of his nose as he sat up and smiled down at his relative's fiancé. "I like her…a lot. Anko-chan's a very, erm…uhh…well, I guess a somewhat appropriate term would be 'interesting' woman. She's also _incredibly_ attractive, and I don't mean with just her looks! Anko-chan makes me laugh, and we can just sit and talk with each other for practically forever. She just…well…Anko-chan understands me and I understand her. I swear, I'm actually willing to challenge Orochimaru a hundred or so more times if it means she could be happy. It's sort of strange to me. I want…hmm…"

Hinata smiled at Sean and gently patted his hand to reassure him that she was there and listening to him. The young Hyuga exile was not going to say anything more; she wanted to just let her superior say everything he needed to say. Despite her age, young Hinata was actually quite wise and understood exactly what Sean was attempting to explain, even if the man himself didn't quite know how he was feeling. Giggling quietly to herself, she simply looked into his eyes and found herself understanding further the relationship between this man and her precious Naruto-koi.

Sean soon began speaking again, snapping Hinata from her thoughts. "I want…to hold Anko's hand. To make this d-date as p-p-perfect as po-possible. All…for her. After everything she's been through, Anko-chan deserves so much more. She deserves the best of everything. I attacked Orochimaru not because of my orders that day, but because I couldn't allow him to hurt her anymore than he already had. It was my desire to protect her, and so I fought. Thinking back on that day…I'm amazed at what I managed to pull off. I nearly took one of his arms. I _hurt_ Orochimaru-teme. And you know what? I'm going to get stronger and stronger until I can one day kill that traitor. I'm going to learn more about myself and my family…I'm going to protect my clan members, you included Hinata-chan…" Sean smiled sweetly down at Hinata and patted her head.

Sighing softly, the Wind God shook his head and went quiet for a moment, his point falling with his mood. "Hinata…despite everything that you've been through and all your father has done…I'm actually kind of glad. You're more than welcome to live here with Naruto-kun, Jima-chan and myself. You may be considered a Hyuga exile these days, but you're safe from everything so long as you're in these walls and under my watchful eyes. I don't trust Hiashi, your father, to just leave things alone. But as the Uzumaki clan head, I hereby declare that you and the rest of Naruto-kun's fiancés are under my protection. Should he try _anything_ at all, I will take it as an attack upon MY clan and will do everything within my power to bring that fool to justice. Hiashi may not have been much of a father to you Hinata-chan, but you know what? I don't care. From now on, I'm declaring you to be my adopted little sister, just like Naruto's my adopted little brother, whether official or not. We're family and I'll love you as such. Screw what anyone else might say, I'm going to make damn sure you and the others can be as happy as can be so long as I'm still standing!"

Smirking down at the young lass, Sean ruffled her hair a bit before placing his lips atop her head and kissing her. This affectionate action effectively made young Hinata blush, and that only caused Sean to grin. "Ahhh, this time I make the young lass blush. Good. I'm going to make sure Naruto-kun treats you right Imouto. If he doesn't, I'm taking away his ramen. Mwahahahahahahahahahaaaaa!" Sean cackled evilly and winked at his new imouto. All of this served to make her start giggling cutely and Sean grinned proudly as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.

"Hinata." The Wind God looked down at her and smirked as she looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you for coming to check on me. I really appreciate it. I'm actually feeling a lot better, and I'm feeling much more confident as well. This date's going to be perfect, I can just feel it. I'll probably start fidgeting or something at some point throughout the date, but just as long as I can spend time with her and just…talk or whatever, it'll go great. Now, think you can do me a favor?"

Hinata smiled and nodded her head. "Good. When your fiancé gets back, I want you to make that boy take you out on a date for being such a sweet princess. I don't care how tired he is from training; you make that boy take you out. Understand me?" The Hyuga girl giggled cutely and nodded her head to affirm him that she would do as he said. "Good. I have a date to get to! Catch ya later Hinata-chan." Chuckling softly to himself, Sean patted her head again and, after finishing his preparations for his date with Anko, dashed out of the building to go and pick up his date.

_**Dango Shop – Thirteen Minutes Later**_

As Sean gently helped Anko into her seat, he smirked at her and kissed her cheek before whispering to her. "You look absolutely beautiful tonight Anko-chan." Chuckling softly as she blushed, Sean took his seat across from her and grinned as he looked into her eyes. "I have to admit, I kind of figured you'd pick this place as a spot for our first date."

Anko pouted cutely at that and poked his chest. "What? You have some kind of problem with dango or something?" Sean smirked and shook his head. "Of course not Anko-chan. I just think…hmm…well, I think it's appropriate I guess. Your absolute favorite food is dango and I really want you to have a good time on our date. I…well, I know you asked me out on this date and you asked me to come with you here for our first date, and as simple as it is, I think it's actually kind of perfect in its own right. But…"

Anko frowned when she heard the word 'But' and wasn't sure what to think. Glancing away, she realized that she was actually feeling incredibly nervous about this date, but before her thoughts could wander too far, she felt a warmth come over her hands. Glancing back to the table where her hands currently laid, she saw that her date had placed one of his hands over hers. Looking back up into his face, Anko blushed at the intense gaze he was giving her. "Anko-chan, I'd like it if you would go walking with me after we are through here. We don't have to do anything else but walk."

The lovely young Snake Mistress smiled sweetly at him and nodded her head. "I'd be glad to walk with you Seanie-kun. Now, let's order what we want and get to talking!" Giggling, she placed one of her hands over Sean's hand that he had used just moments earlier to get her attention. Gently caressing the back of his hand, she continued smiling at him and was content to just look into his beautiful green eyes.

Sean stayed quiet for a time and just looked his date over, carefully taking in her appearance. True to what he said earlier, the woman looked stunning. Rather than come dressed in what he expected her to wear, she was wearing a sparkling black dress with a single shoulder strap that hung over her left shoulder. Hardly any of her cleavage was showing at all, and he was actually somewhat thankful for that. The dress had an open back going down to her mid-back. There was a small slit going up the left side of her dress that left part of her leg visible, but not enough to show anything truly revealing. On her feet, she wore beautiful red, high heeled shoes. When Sean had first seen these, he had actually asked Anko if she was truly comfortable wearing such shoes, but had let it drop when she simply bonked him over the head with her fist and told him it was fine. Thankfully, the heels weren't too big, being only about 3.5 – 4.5 inches in height.

The Wind God muttered a single word as he took in her full appearance once again. "Beautiful." Upon hearing this, Anko once again blushed a deep crimson and began to fidget in her seat, an unusual sight for the patrons that had seen her there before. It wasn't much longer before Sean and Anko had their meals placed before them, along with some simple spice tea.

As Anko began to eat, Sean chose to simply watch her for a short while longer. As he did, he noticed that inside, something felt as if it was simply fluttering around. At the same time, he could feel a strange heat rising in his face. Sighing quietly, he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm himself before he took a sip of his tea and began to eat in silence.

Anko, having noticed his stares, not only blushed, but she grew curious as well. Reaching across the table with her free hand, she gently brushed her fingers along his arm and smiled at him. "Seanie-kun? Are you alright? You're acting kind of…different tonight. If you don't want to be here, I…I'd understand, I really would."

Sean chuckled softly and waved off her concerns. "No Anko-chan, it's nothing like that. I'm just…admiring your beauty and thinking a bit. That's all." Setting his teacup back upon the table after taking another sip, he smiled kindly at his date and gently brushed the backs of his fingers along her left forearm and hand. "I'm…actually very thankful that you asked me out Anko-chan. You have no idea how nervous I was about everything. Don't deny it, Jima already informed me that she informed you about the CRA and I've no hard feelings about that. I…wanted to ask you out Anko-chan. I really did."

Hearing this, Anko just turned redder and quietly began stuffing more dumplings into her mouth so she wouldn't say anything stupid to ruin the moment. Right now, she just wanted to listen to him and hear what he had to say. Inside, her heart was fluttering and she was hanging onto every single word he spoke. At this moment, she found herself watching his lips and every little movement they made. _They look so soft. I wonder what they'd feel like…_

"Anko-hime…" Anko's eyes widened at this. At this point, she nearly choked to death on one of her dumplings, but quickly fixed her own dilemma with some water and some careful breathing. Feeling highly embarrassed at this moment, she held her head down and sighed. "S-Sorry Seanie didn't mean to ruin the moment. But…I'm no princess, I'm really not. I'm just another village pariah. I'm…alone. The crazy Snake Bitch. I'm not some precious princess, I assure you. You don't even know for sure if I've…"

Sean sighed and quickly flicked his date in her forehead to shut her up. When she turned to look into his eyes, he simply smirked at her and took another dumpling into his mouth, chewing slowly before swallowing the whole thing. After another sip of his tea, the Wind God spoke. "Anko, don't try to tell me that I don't know if you've slept around or whatever the hell you were going to say. You think I don't know when somebody's putting on an act to hide their _true_ selves?"

At the Snake Mistress' expression, the blue-haired man smirked and shook his head. "You don't need to hide who you are around me Anko-chan. Naruto used to be like you y'know. Always hiding behind a smile, refusing to let people see what they were really doing to him. The people of Konoha have hurt you. That moniker that people slapped you with, the 'Snake Bitch' of Konoha? It only serves to hurt you. You took a slightly different route than Naruto did. Instead of just smiling all the hurt away and hiding from the world that way, you adopted a new persona 'worthy' of the new name. Joined I&T, started with the whole blood tasting thing, and even began that sexual flirtatious thing you do. You let all kinds of new rumors float around about you and you didn't seem to care one bit about the new ones. But…it didn't really help…did it Anko-chan?"

Anko looked into his eyes and felt stunned. This man's eyes; they appeared as if they could peer into her very _soul_! Starting to shake, Anko brought her arms up and wrapped them about her person as if she was trying to shield herself from the cold. When she felt a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around her, she glanced over to see Sean had moved from his spot and was now beside her, holding her close. Slowly, the Snake Mistress of Konoha laid her head upon his shoulder and closed her eyes as he gently rubbed her arms.

"Sorry…but I just don't like seeing you lie to yourself like that. I…like when you flirt with me Anko-chan. But…w-would you mind…if you only flirted with m-m-me from now on?" Anko stopped shaking and froze, silently staring straight ahead for a time before she raised her head to gaze up into his eyes. "A-Are you asking…what I t-think…you're asking me?" The Wind God smirked down and nodded his head, a very visible blush on his face. "Why, I do believe I am Anko-cutie. How would you like to be my g-girlfriend?"

Her response was to press her lips to his in what appeared to be a hungry, somewhat sloppy kiss as she threw her arms around his neck. Taken aback at first, Sean didn't respond for the first few seconds, but quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him as he returned his new girlfriend's kiss with gusto. When they separated, they were smirking at each other. "Okay Mister, that wasn't bad for a first kiss. We've got some work to do, but I think with all the dates you're going to be taking me on, we'll get pleeeenty of practice."

Sean chuckled at this and snatched a dango stick from her plate, waving it in the air in between the two of them. "Ahhh, I see you agree to being my girlfriend Anko-hime. Good, good. Buuut, don't get too comfortable. Anything could happen y'know?" Smirking at her expression, Sean managed to pop one of the dumplings into her mouth before she could say anything in response and he chuckled at her flabbergasted expression for a moment before stealing one of her dumplings for himself and swallowing after chewing for a small amount of time. "Kidding, kidding. I wouldn't trade you for the world Anko-hime. I guarantee it." For a good time after that, the two continued to feed each other, joke around, and laugh as they relished in each other's company.

_**One Hour Later – Streets of Konoha**_

After having finally left the dango shop a short seven minutes ago, Anko and Sean were now hand in hand as they walked along the dimly lit streets of Konoha. The beautiful Snake Mistress had her head resting on her new boyfriend's right shoulder and she couldn't stop grinning for anything. Smirking down at her, Sean reached up his free hand and gently turned her to face him. Leaning down, he captured her lips in another, soft, passionate kiss.

A few minutes later, they heard somebody teasing them for their behavior and turned to see two very unexpected people out on what appeared to be a date of their own. Smirking right back, Sean pointed his finger at the bearded man before him. "Oh-ho, I see you finally got your lass Asuma-san! Congratulations. Are you enjoying your date with the Bearded Wonder, Kurenai-san?"

Asuma stood dumbfounded at the odd nickname before he turned to Kurenai and smiled. She was _giggling_ in response to Sean's question. "I've never actually heard Asuma called that before. Yes Sean, I am enjoying my date with this big teddy bear. Though I wish he'd stop smoking that damn cigarette." The Genjutsu Mistress glared up at Asuma before flicking him in the nose and making him cough as he turned away from her to rub his now sore nose.

Anko smirked at this and nuzzled her cheek against Sean's shoulder. "I'm glad you're having fun Kurenai-chan, but I just can't see what you see in Mr. Smoker over there. Doesn't matter though, so long as you're happy with him. I've got all I need right here in my sweet hunk." Giggling as her boyfriend turned red, the two women couldn't help but smirk at each other.

After sharing a bit more chitchat with one another, the two couples went their separate ways. It wasn't much longer before Anko and Sean found themselves passing by the Ichiraku Ramen stand where they happened to spot two very recognizable people. The blue-haired man smacked his face and groaned before he leaned in close to Anko and whispered to her. "I told Hinata-chan to make that boy take her out on a date and what does he do? He drags her along to get some ramen."

Anko giggled and shook her head before she whispered back. "Hinata doesn't seem to mind it so much. She's giggling as she listens to him talk. They get along so well, so let's not bother them, okay Seanie?" Sean reluctantly nodded as he chose to simply continue walking with her. It had been a fantastic date for the two of them and he really didn't want it to end. Sadly, with how late it was getting, the newly formed couple knew that it would have to end soon. Deciding to simply return to the Uzumaki-Namikaze compound together so they could talk and spend more time together, the two dashed off for home.

_**Chunin Exam Stadium – Beginning of the Final Stage**_

Most of the combatants participating in the final rounds of the Chunin Exams currently stood in the center of the stadium staring up at the large crowd up people gathered above them. Naruto and his fiancés stood together, each of them feeling somewhat nervous. On his left stood Hinata and the two were currently holding hands, both giving the other strength. On his right stood Fu, and she as well was holding his hand as the three of them looked into the crowd. Upon finally spotting who they were looking for in the crowd, the three of them grinned and began to wave, glad that Haku, Sakura, Sean, Jima, and the others could all make it.

Nearby were the three Suna siblings: Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. Temari looked somewhat downtrodden and ashamed. She had tried again and failed to get Kankuro and Gaara to listen to her, but she wasn't all that surprised. Glancing towards Naruto and then to Sean, she tried to figure out just how everything would play out. The invasion would be starting today and she wasn't sure what to do. Temari wasn't even sure which side she would aid. She was ashamed of herself for feeling this torn, but she was more ashamed of her tou-san and her siblings for going along with that Snake Bastard's plans! Sighing, she came to the conclusion that if she was forced to choose, she would simply make her decision then. There was just no point in stressing herself about it now.

Kiba, Shino, Ino, and Shikamaru all stood together. Kiba was grinning, brimming with confidence as he looked about. Shino was as stoic as ever and wouldn't speak a word, no matter what was said to him. To careful observers, they could tell that he was simply preparing himself mentally for his match that was to come soon with Kiba. Ino and Shikamaru on the other hand were simply talking, enjoying each other's company as they so often did. After all, they were longtime friends and got along fairly well, all things considered.

The only ones who had yet to arrive were Dosu Kinuta and Sasuke Uchiha. Dosu's disappearance was odd, but not entirely unexpected to Naruto, who simply didn't care either way if he showed up for his match or not. Sasuke on the other hand was another matter. _I heard he disappeared from the hospital and nobody has seen him this entire month. Will he even show up in time for our match, or has Orochimaru-teme truly taken him? If he does show up, how will he even fight with only one hand? Damn it this just doesn't feel right to me!_

Sensing his distress and confusion, Hinata and Fu gently squeezed his hands and kissed his cheeks to calm him down. As they went to speak to him however, the two of them were interrupted as Genma Shiranui turned to look at each of them and began to speak. It was odd to them that he had taken over for Hayate as they hadn't heard of anything happening to the sickly Jonin, but they weren't about to question things now. It was when Genma showed them the new battle arrangements that Naruto and friends began to truly suspect something was wrong. _Something must have happened during this past month. Dosu didn't seem like the type to simply drop out. Looks like whoever wins in the fight between Kiba and Shino's going to have to fight Temari next. That's gonna suck._

Finally, after a speech from the Hokage and being ordered to go wait in their designated spot, the majority of the contestants left the arena. The only ones to remain were Hinata Hyuga and Kankuro. However, before they could even begin, someone from the audience rose and spoke with his booming voice. "Do not refer to that _girl_ as a Hyuga any longer! She has disgraced us and I will no longer allow that exile to use our clan name!"

It was simple, short, and to the point, but Hinata did not let any emotions show at the blatant disrespect from her father displayed towards her. Turning to the proctor, Hinata smiled and closed her eyes to fight back any tears that might threaten to spring up behind her eyelids. "It's…alright Proctor-san. Just…call me Hinata Uzumaki from now on. As I will be married to Naruto-koi in the future, I may as well begin using his last name as my own." When Genma smiled softly at her and nodded his head, quickly announcing his apologies to Hiashi and declaring her new chosen name, much to the shock of many present, Hinata smiled and issued him a small, polite "Thank you, Genma-san."

As Genma went to announce the beginning of the fight, Kankuro suddenly raised his hand and shouted. "Sorry Proctor, but I'm going to forfeit here." Genma's left eyebrow began to twitch involuntarily at this and he looked into Kankuro's eyes, clearly searching for any sign that the Suna Genin was trying to play some kind of a trick on him. Finding none, the Proctor shook his head and sighed. "Kankuro has forfeited the match. Hinata Uzumaki is the winner by default! Will Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame come down for their match please?!"

Hinata narrowed her eyes as she stared at Kankuro. _What are you up to Kankuro?_ Upset that she didn't get to fight yet _again_, Hinata began her trek up the stairs to the contestant waiting area as people booed Kankuro. Not much longer after that, both Kiba and Shino stood in the arena, staring calmly at one another. While Kiba talked and tried to psyche his opponent out, Hinata turned to Naruto and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Something doesn't feel right about this." Naruto nodded and shot a quick glance to Temari. "I know…"

**A/N: I know this chapter is pretty much completely centered on Sean and various interactions he has with other characters, and I'm sorry if that bothers some of you. I enjoyed typing up this chapter, despite how long it took for me to do so. For those of you curious about the various training everyone had to go through, I'm sorry, but I didn't feel like stretching things out even more and going into insane detail about what each person was doing in their training. The fruits of their labor will be revealed with time, so just be patient with that alright? ^^ **

**I would also like to apologize for taking so long to get this chapter up. I've been having some difficulties lately. Not going to go into detail, but yeah, there ya go. Just health problems that I don't wanna talk about.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the next one. I'll be working on another project next, one that I'm not entirely sure I'll be adding to this site. ^^; Sorry. It really kind of depends on what I want to do in the end. Anywho, after I get the first chapter of that new fanfiction finished up, I'll be working on Chapter 4 of Mercy of the Shinigami, so I hope everyone's looking forward to that. ^^ **

**Now...I need sleep! lol.**


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